An anti-weed advocate believes a “marijuana bomb” will hit Ohio as the state proceeds with legalizing weed.
Ohio already has legal medical weed but voters recently passed a measure legalizing possession, growing, and sales for anyone over 21.
Despite the fact that Ohio is following in the footsteps of nearly two dozen other states, Aubree Adams, director of anti-weed organization Every Brain Matters, had some rather creative doomsday predictions about the impact of the new policy.
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“Ohio voters were fooled into thinking marijuana was less harmful than alcohol. It’s not. One swallow of alcohol can’t induce psychotic behaviors, but one swallow of a marijuana edible can. One hit off a potent THC vape can. And two hits from a marijuana bong can,” she said, speaking to a Senate General Government Committee meeting earlier this week.
“Thankfully, members of this committee are the gatekeepers that can lessen the impacts of this marijuana bomb before it’s detonated on Ohio families.”
While a marijuana bomb sounds scary—or fun, depending on your stance—Adams’ claims are misleading at best.
High doses of weed could induce a temporary psychotic episode, but it’s not a common reaction. A study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry in January 2022 looked at emergency room data in Alberta and Ontario from 2015-2019 and found that Canada’s legalization of weed “was not associated with evidence of significant changes in cannabis-induced psychosis or schizophrenia (emergency department) presentations.” And while studies have found links between weed use and early onset of schizophrenia, particularly in people with pre-existing risk, other
variables like socio-demographic factors and the use of other drugs make it hard to paint a clear picture without more research.
Excessive drinking causes more than 140,000 deaths per year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the agency does not have death data for cannabis. Alcohol is also more addictive and much more frequently linked to violence.
Adams’ comments are reminiscent of other absurd statements about cannabis we’ve fact checked over the years, including: weed is “infinitely worse” than tobacco, weed is as deadly as fentanyl, edibles can kill kids, and cannabis lowers a person’s IQ.
Five years after Canada legalized cannabis, use has not increased among youth, though hospitalizations for children who accidentally consumed weed went up after edibles became legal, suggesting a need for restrictions on products that would visually appeal to kids.
While it’s important to be cognizant of the impact any drug can have on developing brains, clinging to reefer madness myths from a bygone era isn’t helpful to anyone.
