Though organizations like Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) have been sounding the alarm about the harms of high-potency marijuana for years, an unlikely ally recently joined the effort: the Drug Policy Alliance. The progressive organization, which has long supported the legalization of marijuana and was behind Oregon’s failed attempt at the decriminalization of all drugs, released a report about this growing threat to public health.
The report explained: “One growing concern is the increasing availability of high-THC marijuana products. As product potency rises, so do important public health questions about safety, youth access, and consumer transparency.” They warned that high-potency marijuana can lead to cannabis use disorder, anxiety, depression, psychosis, and schizophrenia, among other harms.
The potency of marijuana, as the percentage of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), increased from 3.96% in 1995 to 16.14% in 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. THC is the psychoactive (“high”-inducing) part of marijuana. Concentrates, such as vapes, often exceed 90% THC. The marijuana industry has been producing and promoting ever-stronger products. As the saying goes, “this isn’t your parent’s weed.”
Public health leaders have been warning about the rise in marijuana potency––and its associated harms––for decades. Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, warned that “high potency marijuana can trigger acute psychotic episodes, which is one of the main causes for emergency department visits associated with cannabis use, which are also rising.” Dr. Jerome Adams, the then-Surgeon General, said in 2019 that “the potency is much, much higher. A higher THC content equals more danger.”
Some of the DPA’s recommendations are consistent with what SAM has long supported. For example, the DPA supports “purchase limits based on THC concentration,” restrictions on advertising, and the use of warning labels.
Even so, the DPA maintained its support for the short-sighted policy of legalization, which is the policy most responsible for the emergence of high-potency marijuana products in the first place. While policies like regulations on advertising are essential and a step toward protecting public health, this broader regulatory framework would not be needed if there was no legalization policy or marijuana industry.