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Marijuana legislation is tied to a 25% increase in cannabis use disorder among teens, and the share of 12th-graders who vaped pot products nearly doubled from 2017 to 2021, according to a report released Thursday.
The pot industry is saturating minority communities with dispensaries, but only 4% of those reporting profits from selling marijuana products are people of color.
More than 800,000 marijuana-related emergency room visits were reported in 2021. That was nearly double the 455,000 recorded in 2011.
The steady march toward lenient marijuana laws is harming young people, minorities and other Americans, television personality and board-certified doctor Drew Pinsky said in a report drafted with Smart Approaches to Marijuana. This organization warns about the harms of marijuana use and is devoted to preventing “another Big Tobacco.”
The report said 52.5 million Americans used marijuana in 2021, up from 17.5 million in 1992.