States across the U.S. have legalized marijuana for recreational use, with advocates citing benefits including increased tax revenues, reduced criminal justice costs, improved public health benefits and economic expansion. On the other hand, critics contend legalization increases marijuana and drug use among young people, reduces traffic safety measures, lowers educational achievement among teenagers and contributes to mental illness.
Mason et al. (2018) conducted a meta-analysis comparing states with and without legalized marijuana that found no statistically significant differences in crime, traffic accidents or medical marijuana use (Mason et al.). However, given that many of the studies included were non-randomized controlled trials that relied on self-report data such as self-report surveys rather than controlled trials, their conclusions must be treated with care when being interpreted.
Recreational marijuana’s impact on society is multifaceted. People use recreational marijuana for various reasons, including exploring themselves better, socializing with others or relaxing and relieving stress. But most commonly sought-after is its intoxicating effects; regardless of motivation for using marijuana recreationally; all users must recognize its adverse health impacts including increasing motor vehicle accidents as well as injury or even death risk.
Marijuana is an addictive substance with known withdrawal symptoms and long-term harmful effects on mental health, cognitive function, respiratory function and metabolic systems. Furthermore, cannabis use has been linked with numerous negative social and familial outcomes.
Researching the impact of marijuana can be complicated due to its many chemicals interacting in various ways with our bodies, leading to numerous effects such as changes in blood pressure and heart rate, appetite changes and insomnia. Various chemical components that make up marijuana are metabolized differently by different organs within the body, creating various results such as changes in blood pressure/heart rate fluctuations as well as effects on appetite/sleep patterns.
There is currently no reliable method for measuring the impact of recreational marijuana use on society. Large national surveys offer some of the most useful data, including those conducted by organizations like the National Study of Disability in Older Americans (NSDUH) since 1971 and Monitoring the Future, a program that polls eighth through 12th-graders every two or three years. Researchers can utilize data gleaned from these surveys to analyze trends in past-month cannabis usage rates by demographic group. Researchers can also examine how use patterns have changed since legalization in states that have implemented marijuana laws, for instance adolescent marijuana participation rates reportedly declined prior to legalization in Maine, Massachusetts, Colorado and Alaska before increasing after legalization took place in those states.