“Whether or not one supports marijuana legalization, Americans should be outraged at these overtly undemocratic tactics.”
Author: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
California: No Uptick in Frequency of Marijuana Use by Young Adults Following Adult-Use Legalization
“In examining marijuana use before and after legalization of recreational sales in California, we found that frequency of use did not change significantly overall, including following legalization.”
“Our study found that there is no link to marijuana use and an increase in cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, there may be a link between marijuana use and lowered risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Provisions in the package amend a 1998 federal law that mandated those applying for student aid to disclose if they ever had a drug-related conviction, and barred hundreds of thousands of applicants from receiving funding.
Since 2010, scientists have published over 23,000 peer-reviewed papers on cannabis, with the annual number of papers increasing every year.
For over five decades, federal regulators have only authorized a single licensee – the University of Mississippi – to cultivate cannabis plants for use in FDA-approved clinical studies.
Of the 15 states that have now enacted adult-use legalization, 13 have done so by voter initiative. Many states, however, do not offer a citizens’ initiative option — meaning that the only way to enact substantive marijuana reform is through the legislative process.
“Governor Northam has always been thoughtful in his approach to cannabis policy. We look forward to continuing our work with the administration and the legislature to ‘get this right.”