Ohioans will vote on legalizing recreational marijuana and abortion access in the upcoming Nov. 7 election.
Credit: Office of the Ohio Secretary of State
As Election Day nears and Ohio State students prepare to cast their votes on Ohio Issue 2 — a statewide ballot initiative that will legalize the purchase and possession of recreational marijuana if passed — one consideration on voters’ minds may be marijuana’s health implications.
Douglas Berman, the executive director of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center in the Moritz College of Law, said while public health is an important piece of the issue, it’s important to recognize that existing scientific research on marijuana isn’t as straightforward as people might like it to be.
“The simple reality is humans are diverse and complicated, and the way in which they’ve historically used cannabis is diverse and complicated,” Berman said. “There isn’t conclusive evidence that makes it easy to say, ‘Oh, this will definitely be a public health positive or this will definitely be a public health negative.’”
The risks of marijuana are legitimate, especially as THC — cannabis’ psychoactive ingredient — concentrations have increased, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said in an Oct. 19 press conference.
“People need to understand that marijuana has changed over time. Marijuana that is available today is much stronger than what was commonly available in the past,” Vanderhoff said. “There are very real risks, especially for young Ohioans, and they include things like physical dependence, addiction and other negative consequences that are all magnified by exposure to these higher concentrations of THC.”
Berman agreed THC levels have more recently been bred at higher levels, and partially attributed the development to the “iron law of prohibition.”
“One of the ways I know some of the advocates talk about it is outside of a sports stadium, everybody might be drinking beer, but then when they’re smuggling alcohol in, they’re often bringing in hard liquor in a flask because they want more punch for the quantity,” Berman said. “It’s true that we’re seeing higher THC levels in average products, both in the illicit market and in the regulated market, but that’s a function of consumption patterns and history that has been pushed by prohibition, and among the things that I think we don’t know about is whether that will persist if we have legal reform.”
Michaela Sumner, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, said in an email the negative health effects of marijuana consumption can include the impairment of one’s balance, coordination, memory and judgment, as well as distorted perception and slowed reaction times. Younger populations are even more susceptible to these consequences, she said.
“The passing of Issue 2 would permit the use of marijuana for individuals ages 21 and older, however, research shows the brain isn’t fully developed until the mid-20s and is particularly vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances during that time of development,” Sumner said. “Although the passing would make marijuana use legal for ages 21 and older, it doesn’t make the use risk-free.”
Vanderhoff agreed and said higher doses of THC are more likely to cause symptoms of anxiety, agitation, paranoia and possibly psychosis in younger populations.
“The younger the age of initiation, the greater the risk,” Vanderhoff said. “The Surgeon General has gone on, he’s also expressed concern that marijuana’s growing availability in multiple and highly potent forms combined with a false and dangerous perception of safety among our youth, is really potentially placing the health of our young people in great risk.”
Berman agreed there is growing evidence that significant consumption of high-potency marijuana by younger individuals may impact the developing brain, but said the phenomenon can also be observed regarding substances like alcohol or even high-sugar products.
“Every substance we consume has healthier dosages and less healthy dosages,” Berman said. “That’s one of the challenges is, are we effectively studying what common-use patterns look like and what those impacts will be? And then also, can we encourage healthier versions of use which have, again, of course, been something we try to do with all consumer products?”
According to DISA Global Solutions, 24 states have fully legalized marijuana before it hits the ballot in Ohio. Data from these other states may lend insight into what the passing of Issue 2 could look like in Ohio, Berman said.
“I think it certainly is appropriate to look at those other states’ experiences and say, ‘Hey, there’s no obvious extreme harms, at least that have been identified yet, and they’ve had experiences with a legal cannabis market along the lines that’s proposed here in Ohio,’” Berman said. “Of course, the opponents might say, ‘Yeah, but there’s no evidence that people there are living much healthier lives either, so don’t don’t take that as a clear sign that this is going to have a dramatic health benefit.’”
Between attention and memory deficits, changes in decision-making and even increased suicide attempts with chronic marijuana use, Vanderhoff said recreational use of the drug is largely unsafe.
Supporters of legalization draw a line between the effects of marijuana and those of alcohol, as the organization that got the issue on the ballot argues the two should be regulated the same.
Berman said data on public health takes a long time to develop, so there is still uncertainty surrounding marijuana and its effects.
“There’s lots of data and lots of debate over the data,” Berman said. “We still have huge debates and uncertainty about what leads to alcohol use disorder and a range of other drug problems as well. And so these are things that, again, it’s understandable that the opponents say, ‘Well, why do we want one more problem?’ The concern I have with that argument is keeping something illegal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not going to be a problem, right? We see that in so many ways.”
Due to this ambiguity, Berman said it is important for voters to consider other components of the issue in addition to public health implications, such as their own core beliefs.
“Ultimately, though, I think they have to reflect on their own values because, at the end of the day, I think the data will move us to a certain point and help us better understand where we’re at, but which data is the most important? Which concerns, which harms or benefits from reform matter most to them?” Berman said.
The full Ohio Department of Health press conference can be viewed here, and more information about the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center in the Moritz College of Law can be found here.
