Marijuana Legalization: Misgivings and Hopes

Marijuana legalization is in motion: step by step, state by state. Counting Washington, where I live, twelve states have already passed recreational marijuana legislation. At least seven more states, including New York and Minnesota, both traditionally liberal states, are slated for similar legalization in 2019. 
While stopping the weed train is unlikely (there are profits to be made in this new frontier), ensuring that its brakes and safety protocols are in working order is imperative. Protections for our most vulnerable populations — adolescents, young adults, and people with mental illness issues — ought to be mandatory.
I work in an outpatient mental health program adjacent to an acute psychiatric hospital. A major portion of our patient population wrangles with substance use issues. Patients tend to use marijuana to relax, to dampen the pain of loss, or to escape from emotional intensity entirely. There are patients who use marijuana to sleep, and patients who use it for adventure or relief from boredom. Some patients have made recent suicide attempts or serious self-harm gestures. Other patients have intrusive negative thoughts that make life seem untenable. 
Marijuana can worsen these symptoms. Marijuana with high THC content, for example, can exacerbate suicidal ideation or psychosis in people who have bipolar disorder. I worry about the vulnerability of these patients when it comes to marijuana. I worry about teenagers using it without understanding the...

Source: Psych Central - July 18, 2019 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Trisha Ready, PhD Tags: Addictions Medications Professional Stigma Substance Abuse Effects Of Cannabis Legalizing Marijuana Psychosis Stigmatization Substance Use THC Source Type: news