With an increasing number of states legalizing marijuana and other drugs, the debate continues over whether the negative effects of drug decriminalization outweigh the positive effects. Researchers, policy-makers and public health officials provide arguments on both sides. For mental health experts, however, the most pertinent question is how the legalization of drugs will affect addiction and addiction. Drug legalization in Oregon followed in the footsteps of countries like Portugal, the Netherlands and Switzerland, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs. In 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize the acquisition, possession and consumption of small amounts of all illicit drugs. However, the country did not decriminalize drug trafficking, as it involved larger quantities of drugs. In addition, people caught using drugs cannot be detained, fined, provided with community services or referred to treatment programs. But the United States failed. Terrible. There are many things that could have been done to stop the opioid epidemic in its tracks: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could have blocked or restricted the use of opioids — to better account for the risks of addiction and overdose, as well as the lack of scientific evidence that opioids are effective even for chronic pain. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could have reduced the supply of opioids and taken tougher legal action against companies that carelessly proliferated their drugs into unscrupulous prescribers, rather than focusing on players such as the pill factories that are popping up across the country. The question for experts in young adult mental health is: What does decriminalization of drugs mean for this age group? Will drug legalization lead to an increase in drug abuse and marijuana addiction for Gen Z? 21% of 18-24 year olds who have never tried cannabis before would use it if it were legal, according to a 2020 survey by Cowen Research.
It turns out that legalizing drugs is not a public policy option that lends itself to simplistic or superficial debate. It requires the dissection and revision of an order that has been conspicuously absent, despite the constant attention it receives. Apart from the discussion of some very broadly defined proposals, there has been no detailed assessment of the operational importance of legalisation. There is not even a lexicon of universally accepted terms to allow for intellectually rigorous exchange. As a result, legalization means different things to different people. For example, some use legalization interchangeably with “decriminalization,” which usually refers to the elimination of criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use. Others equate, at least implicitly, legalization with complete deregulation, without acknowledging the extent to which currently legally available drugs are subject to strict controls. Those on the other side of the drug legalization debate argue that widespread acceptance of marijuana will lead to an increase in use and, therefore, an increase in marijuana addiction, particularly because marijuana`s potency has steadily increased over the past 30 years. They also believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and, therefore, an increase in marijuana use would lead to an increase in the use of harder drugs.
Opponents also worry about the potential increase in hospitalizations related to drug legalization and predict an increase in driving disruptions and fatal car crashes as a result of the legalization of recreational marijuana. As with most issues in the drug legalization debate, there is research that supports and rejects the latter thesis. A number of other unintended consequences are also evident in the state of Oregon, which decriminalized all drugs earlier this year. In particular, some Native American communities have expressed concern that this policy change could jeopardize their attempts to preserve the psychoactive peyote cactus, which is at the heart of some indigenous cultures but is also popular with psychedelic users. CONS: On the other hand, since psychoactive drugs, including marijuana, cause acute mental impairment when people use the drug, as well as addiction (approximately 9% of marijuana users), the increased accessibility, destigmatization and lower prices associated with legalization would result in more users and, therefore, more potential harm and harm to the population (e.g., driving under the influence of drugs) as well as substance abuse. Ultimately, psychiatrists worry that an increase in marijuana use among young adults due to drug legalization could lead to an increase in what`s known as cannabis use disorder. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, up to 30% of those who use marijuana may have a cannabis use disorder. And the risk could be greater right now, as research shows that young adults suffer from pandemic-related stress, anxiety and virtual isolation more than any other age group. Therefore, they use marijuana as a coping mechanism. Unfortunately, the U.S.
government – including the Clinton administration – has done little to improve the debate. Although he has always opposed a withdrawal of the ban, his position does not appear to have been based on a thorough examination of the potential costs and benefits. The belief that legalization would lead to an immediate and dramatic increase in drug use is so taken for granted that no further studies are needed. But if this is indeed the likely conclusion of a study, there is cause for concern, other than the criticism that relatively small amounts of taxpayers` money have been wasted to demonstrate what everyone believed all along? Would such a result in no way help to justify the continuation of the existing policy and to convincingly silence those – certainly never more than a small minority – who are calling for legalisation? Research confirms that marijuana use among young adults has reached all-time highs, particularly marijuana vaping rates. The annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey found that one in four young adults use marijuana and nearly one in 10 use it daily.