In her April 26 op-ed, “We should not be celebrating marijuana use,” Post contributing columnist Leana S. Wen examined the harms of marijuana, now legalized or decriminalized for recreational or medical use in the majority of the states and D.C.
Many readers disagreed. Most of the more than 5,000 comments on her column rebutted her position that marijuana is dangerous and should be regulated.
Here’s a sampling of what readers had to say. Comments have been edited for style, clarity and brevity.
laintbacchus: Dr. Wen has it backward. Cannabis literally evolved with humankind. No, we shouldn’t be celebrating its use. We ought, rightly, to be taking it for granted.
itsaninsidejob: Sad thing that the reality of Western life is so painful that many or most of us want to opt out through any means possible.
Cliff52: I was a college addiction researcher and educator for more than 30 years, and many of my students were former addicts in recovery. In all that time and among all those students, I cannot honestly think of a single one who had problems with or struggled to overcome a dependence on cannabis. I can also say from my many years of teaching and research that Wen here is really cherry-picking the cited clinical resources. Cannabis is probably the most studied psychoactive compound in the world, and I truly do believe that her disingenuous parsing of the available information is reflective of an inherent bias on her part. I’m not here to herald the benefits of the drug, but in several forms it is one of the most benign intoxicants that humans can use, and humans will continue to use intoxicants. … Denying that reality is greatly responsible for this wholly dysfunctional mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into with psychoactive drugs. Bottom line: No appreciable increase in mental health disorders as a result of increased cannabis use, and no overdose deaths as a result of cannabis use. How many drugs can we say that for?
Nothing particular: Yes. Thank you, Dr. Wen! I was all for legalizing cannabis, but when I returned home where it was legalized, I found the high level of use extremely disconcerting (both parents high while swimming with their three young children at a lake, for example). As usual, our society has swung from one extreme to another, and it’s not a good path.
MCPSteacherman: I’m all for decriminalization, but let’s be honest: Adding stoned drivers to drunk drivers just means more impaired drivers. There are already PSAs out urging people not to drive high. This will be a problem.
Jordan18: Dr. Wen quoted an addiction researcher as saying, “If we had a prescription drug with this many side effects, people wouldn’t want to use it.” Same thing could be said of aspirin. If it were invented today, a person would need a prescription.
Story_Statement: We see commercials every 15 minutes that list the side effects of whatever drug they’re trying to convince us we need. They often include things such as heart failure, rashes that indicate a fatal condition, kidney problems, a compromised immune system, new or worsening confusion, sleep disturbances, vivid nightmares and even strokes. The side effects of marijuana do not include things such as heart failure, kidney problems, fatal rashes, a compromised immune system or strokes.
We have tons of drugs that have way more side effects than marijuana, and usually they’re more serious. Any side effects need to be weighed against the benefits. I have taken prescription medication for more than 20 years now, and it has wreaked havoc on my memory, caused my hair to fall out prematurely, made me dizzy or nauseated sometimes, etc. But compared with what it treats? Give me my meds.
sleeps with pit bulls: I’ve had far worse consequences from using Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmaceuticals than I’ve ever had from smoking weed.
Charles A Phillips: I treat my smoke like a fine wine, to indulge and savor. I’m a healthy, active septuagenarian who enjoys an excellent quality of life, despite my marijuana use. Though I agree that some folks should avoid smoking because of their health (COPD, asthma, etc), I believe that most healthy folks using a modicum of common sense could use it without any health concerns.
Susan Dryoff: I’ve been using edibles for the past eight years to help with post-menopause insomnia … I can’t tell you how amazing it is to get a solid seven to eight hours of restful sleep consistently every night. It doesn’t leave you hung over or groggy each morning.
KateRabe: The research cited is about using pot during the years of development. There are already many laws in place to prevent sale to minors. I’ve yet to see a child of 18 years or younger in any dispensary.
reenie53: Having imbibed marijuana for 54 of my 70 years, I think most of this is misplaced hysteria. I held jobs that required attention to detail and critical thinking, I was married for 38 years (together 46) before the coronavirus took my husband, I have friendships going back 60 years or more and stay involved in my community. … Honestly, any substance — even food items — can be detrimental to one’s health if abused by overuse. As far as addictive? I can go months or even years on end without using marijuana and have no issues. In the end, that’s why we all were issued brains — so we could figure this out on our own without a knee-jerk response to one opinion.
bearbear34: Yes, marijuana is ultimately harmful. Alcohol is more harmful but is celebrated endlessly. The mind-altering aspects are obviously the attraction, and side effects are to be expected. Total sobriety is not an option for everyone, so, for me pot > alcohol.
djp1955: We’ve been hearing these silly proclamations on how “harmful” pot is. The critical metric is to compare it with so many other “harmful” things that humans do. In that respect, pot is almost assuredly benign.
emoenergy1: Yes, we all know the potential side effects of weed and alcohol. And we still use them. All we want is for marijuana and alcohol to be treated the same. It’s insane that weed is still treated as a Schedule 1 drug.
ACW11: The fact fewer people are arrested and their lives ruined should be celebrated.
Bipartisan Centrist: Money talks, and cannabis is now a billion-dollar industry and not going anywhere.
HeWhoWasntThere: What seems to be lost on Dr. Wen is that folks are not celebrating marijuana use, but folks are celebrating its decriminalization. The war on drugs is/was not only a massive waste of money, but it is just institutionalized racism with a catchy name. People will always do drugs. Getting access to pot was never difficult. I’m more concerned about vaping — which is basically advertised as adult candy to younger folks.
G E Peters: Dr. Wen, whom I admire, should also underline the massive (and continuing) damage of the war on drugs — millions of lives ruined in prison, corruption of police and the explosion of smuggling at our borders.
smallprint: I grew up in the 1970s in the heyday of weed. I’m amused that people see it as a cure-all. I’m all for decriminalization, but it’s a drug and, just like every other drug, there are side effects. They called them stoners for a reason.
Kaspar Hauser: When I was in college, I hated going to parties and being around people who were high. People who were normally intelligent would become stupid and slow-witted. One of the joys of getting older was not having to be around people who got high. I hate seeing pot becoming normalized. In high school and college it was considered to be cool. Getting high has always been juvenile.
Kentucky Rain: Thank you, Dr. Wen. Your piece is thoughtful and insightful. The use of marijuana is just another way to numb the pain that comes with the human experience. I’m not looking forward to the day my state legalizes it. The pungent smell of marijuana makes me sick.