Marijuana is often presented as “harmless” but time and again this has been shown not to be the case. Most recently, a study from Stanford University found a correlation between marijuana legalization and increased self-harm, thoughts of suicide, and suicide attempts in young men.
The study found that rates of self-harm and suicide attempts were higher in states that legalized recreational marijuana, and especially in states that commercialize the drug. “Advertising works,” senior researcher Keith Humphreys commented, pointing out that commercialization leads to increased use as the drug becomes easier to buy and more alluring, especially to young people. Humphreys acknowledged that cause and effect can be difficult to prove in any study, but given the significant correlation between recreational marijuana legalization and increased self-harm and suicide attempts, he said that the study’s findings should be taken into consideration when debating whether or not recreational marijuana should be legalized.
Other studies have found links between marijuana and psychosis, suicide, and abuse of other substances. In 2019 the Health and Human Services department warned that marijuana has become more dangerous, with the THC concentration in commonly cultivated marijuana tripling in the past two decades.
The CDC reports that as of 2016, suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for men in the United States. The suicide epidemic is even more rampant among young men — for men between the ages of 20-44, it is the second leading cause of death. As John Stonestreet put it, states that have legalized recreational marijuana have “joined the list of states increasing the likelihood of young men committing suicide and hurting themselves.”
(Image: Ethan Skyes, Unsplash)
