Not everyone is cheering as marijuana access expands
Experts discuss personal and public health risks at Hazelden Betty Ford “Awareness Hour”
By Jeremiah Gardner
NOTE: This was published for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s monthly Recovery Advocacy Update. If you’d like to receive our advocacy emails, subscribe today.
In 23 states — including, most recently, Minnesota — citizens have unleashed a commercial marijuana industry with one goal — to increase lifetime consumption among as many people as possible. And while marijuana policies vary nationwide, three trends are clear: Access is expanding, public perceptions of harm are declining, and potencies are significantly higher than a generation ago. One more reality is also clear: these trends have public health implications.
So, now what? What can we do to clear the fog on popular myths, establish guardrails to protect youth, and minimize the negative impact on individuals, families, and communities?
That was the topic of an “Awareness Hour” community conversation hosted by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation on June 14, 2023, in Plymouth, Minnesota, where Hazelden Betty Ford provides substance use and mental health services to young people ages 12 to 25.
In this new era, concerned parents, teachers, health care professionals, and public health advocates must match commercial profit interests with equally vigorous education about the risks of substance use — particularly among young people who have come to believe that nicotine, alcohol and now marijuana are relatively harmless — and the availability of help if ever needed. Regardless of one’s overall take on cannabis legalization, I hope that’s something we can all agree on!
Jeremiah Gardner is director of communications and public affairs for the nonprofit Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
