The facts are on our side.
Sourced, cited and written for consumers who want to answer bad arguments with evidence.
What the data shows
Peer-reviewed science and federal data, not talking points.
of teens used cannabis last year
Past-year use among 12- to 17-year-olds fell from 10.4% in 2024 to 8.7% in 2025, even as more states legalized for adults. In Colorado, current use among high schoolers dropped from 13% to 10% in two years.
SAMHSA, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2025; Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, 2025
of Americans support legal cannabis
55% say cannabis should be legal for medical and adult use, and another 33% for medical use. Just 11% say it shouldn't be legal at all.
in state tax revenue
Adult-use states have collected $28.4 billion in cannabis taxes since 2014, including a record $4.57 billion in 2025 alone. That money funds schools, child care, treatment and community reinvestment.
Marijuana Policy Project (advocacy group) analysis of state revenue reports, June 2026
jobs in legal cannabis
Legal markets in 40 states employed about 412,500 people on $29.1 billion in 2025 sales.
cannabis arrests in 2025
Arrests went up, not down, from about 203,000 in 2024. 92% were for simple possession, and about 13% of police agencies didn't even report.
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Crime Data Explorer, 2025 data (totals as tallied by NORML)
of overdose deaths list cannabis as a cause
Cannabis showed up in 21% of 209,166 overdose deaths from 2021 to mid-2025, almost always alongside fentanyl or stimulants. It was the only drug involved in 9.
Myth and fact
The claims we hear most in hearing rooms, and what the evidence says.
Cannabis edibles are a top cause of child poisoning.
Rising ER visits get cited as proof of a crisis caused by legal edibles.
Edibles don't make the top 10 for kids under 6.
Oregon Poison Center data shows household cleaners, cosmetics and pain relievers each cause more than 1,600 pediatric incidents a year. Rising ER numbers largely reflect parents feeling safer telling doctors after legalization.
THC can stop a child's breathing, like opioids.
Stories of children on ventilators have been used to justify sweeping restrictions.
THC does not cause respiratory depression.
THC receptors in the brainstem work differently from opioid receptors and can't directly shut down breathing. Severe cases likely involve undiagnosed conditions, extreme doses for body weight, or adulterated unregulated products.
Legalization increases teen use.
The argument that legal cannabis sends a permissive message to young people.
Teen use keeps falling as legalization spreads.
Past-year use among 12- to 17-year-olds dropped to 8.7% in 2025, down from 10.4% a year earlier. In 2025, 74% of 12th graders and 92% of 8th graders said they hadn't used cannabis in the past year. Licensed stores check ID. Dealers don't.
SAMHSA, NSDUH, 2025; NIH, Monitoring the Future, December 2025
Dispensaries will sell to kids.
Opponents warn that legal stores put cannabis within reach of teenagers.
Licensed stores turn minors away more often than alcohol sellers.
In Oregon's 2026 underage decoy checks through early October, cannabis shops refused 210 of 227 (about 92.5%). Alcohol sellers refused 427 of 522 (about 81.8%). Colorado reported 99% compliance across 469 checks in 2025. It isn't perfect: Oregon shops still made 17 sales, which is why enforcement matters.
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, cannabis and alcohol decoy data, 2026; Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, 2026
Wrapping each edible individually protects kids.
The premise behind Oregon's SB 1548.
Safe storage is what changes outcomes.
88% of pediatric edible ER events trace to unsafe storage. The Consumer Product Safety Commission couldn't conclude that unit packaging beats standard child-resistant packaging.
A THC blood test proves a driver is impaired.
Several states set a fixed blood-THC limit, or zero tolerance, and treat anyone over it as a drunk driver.
Blood THC doesn't track impairment.
In a UC San Diego study of 190 regular consumers who stopped for 48 hours, 24% were still over a 2 ng/mL limit and 43% failed zero tolerance. In a driving simulator they performed no worse than people under the limits. Never drive high. But a blood number alone can convict sober people.
Dispensaries make the roads more dangerous.
Opponents warn that every new store will bring more crashes to the neighborhood.
Crash rates didn't change.
Researchers compared Connecticut before and after legalization against Maryland, and looked at crashes within half a mile of 13 new dispensaries. They found no significant change statewide or near the stores.
A driver who tests positive for THC is as dangerous as a drunk driver.
Lawmakers treat any THC in a driver the same as alcohol over the legal limit.
The crash data don't match alcohol.
In NHTSA's study of more than 9,000 drivers, testing positive for THC carried no added crash risk after adjusting for age, gender, race and alcohol (odds ratio 1.00). Drivers at 0.08 alcohol had 3.93 times the risk. Among 8,328 injured Canadian drivers, 3.3% had THC at 5 ng/mL or more, while 12.3% were at 0.08 alcohol or higher. A positive test isn't proof of impairment either way, and NHTSA warns this doesn't make driving high safe. Don't do it.
Legal cannabis makes the opioid crisis worse.
Cannabis gets framed as one more addictive drug piling onto an overdose epidemic.
Legal access is linked to fewer opioid poisonings.
In insurance claims for 107 million working-age adults, medical dispensaries were tied to a 15% drop in non-fatal opioid poisonings and adult-use laws to a 12% drop. CDC data show cannabis was listed as a cause in under 1% of overdose deaths.
Hou et al., Preventive Medicine Reports, 2026; CDC MMWR, 2026
Legalization is filling treatment centers with cannabis addiction.
Opponents point to treatment programs as proof legal cannabis is creating an addiction wave.
Cannabis is a small and shrinking share of treatment admissions.
Cannabis was the main substance in 8.8% of the 2024 treatment admissions with a reported primary substance (115,913 of 1,319,485), and SAMHSA says that share declined gradually from 2020 to 2024. Some people do need help, and they should get it. The numbers count admissions, not people, and cover state-reported programs.
Nobody gets arrested for cannabis anymore.
Lawmakers say the fight is over, so consumer protections can wait.
Arrests rose in 2025.
Police made 218,152 cannabis arrests in 2025, up from about 203,000, and 92% were for possession. Legal states saw arrest rates fall about 85% after legalization. Prohibition states made more than eight times as many arrests as legal ones.
FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2025 data (NORML tally); Marijuana Policy Project (advocacy group) analysis, 2026
Reefer Madness Watch
Claims we hear from opponents, checked against the research. We label claims, not studies, and we say what's real inside each claim. Every quote below was checked word for word at its source.
- Overstated
Legalization makes more teens use cannabis.
“Adolescents in legalized states have significantly higher marijuana use rates.”Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Impact Report 2026-27, January 2026
What the evidence showsA review of the economics research found near consensus that legalization hasn't increased teen use when the same states are tracked before and after. Nationally, past-year use among 12- to 17-year-olds fell from 10.9% in 2021 to 8.7% in 2025, and in 2025 it was 8%, 16% and 26% in grades 8, 10 and 12.
The real concern: Not every study agrees. In one systematic review, 40% of higher-quality studies found more use among teens or young adults, and after Canada legalized edibles and extracts, teen use rose 26%. Age-21 enforcement and limits on youth-appealing products matter.
Anderson and Rees, Journal of Economic Literature, 2023; SAMHSA, NSDUH 2025; NIDA, Monitoring the Future 2025; Lachance et al., Journal of Adolescent Health, 2022; Mital and Nguyen, JAMA Network Open, 2025
- Misleading
Legalization made Colorado's roads deadlier.
“In Colorado, the share of traffic deaths involving marijuana rose from 9% in 2000 to 21.5% in 2018.”Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Impact Report 2026-27, January 2026
What the evidence shows“Involving marijuana” means someone tested positive for THC, not that they were impaired. Frequent consumers can stay above 2 ng/mL of blood THC, sometimes above 5, a day or more after they last used, and NHTSA told Congress blood THC isn't a reliable predictor of impairment. Studies of actual crash risk find much smaller effects: NHTSA found no added risk after adjustment (odds ratio 1.00), a corrected meta-analysis put the risk of driving high at 1.36, and IIHS estimated a 5.8% rise in injury crash rates after legal sales, ranging from a 7% drop to an 18% rise by state.
The real concern: Driving high does raise crash risk, and the National Academies call that evidence substantial. Some studies find small or temporary increases in crashes after retail sales begin. Don't drive high.
NHTSA Report to Congress, 2017; Peng et al., Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020; Rogeberg and Elvik, Addiction, 2016; Farmer et al. (IIHS), Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2022
- Overstated
Cannabis addiction is surging.
“19.2 million Americans had CUD in 2023 (SAMHSA, 2023f), up from 14.2 million in 2020”Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Impact Report 2026-27, January 2026
What the evidence showsSAMHSA changed how its national survey measures cannabis use disorder (CUD) starting in 2020 and 2021, and cautions against comparing across that break, so much of the jump is a change in measurement. Measured the same way, the count has held roughly level: 19.2 million (6.8%) in 2023, 20.6 million (7.1%) in 2024 and 19.3 million (6.7%) in 2025. Most cases are mild.
The real concern: That's still millions of people, concentrated among young adults: 14.1% of 18- to 25-year-olds met the criteria in 2025, and about a quarter of them had a severe form.
SAMHSA, NSDUH 2025 detailed tables; NSDUH 2024 detailed tables
- Overstated
Cannabis vomiting syndrome strikes millions of Americans a year.
“An estimated 2.75 million Americans suffer from CHS annually”Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Impact Report 2026-27, January 2026
What the evidence showsThe figure is an extrapolation from small emergency-room surveys of heavy users, not a measured count. CDC surveillance found 199,565 emergency visits involving cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) over about three and a half years, January 2023 to May 2026. The rate rose from 3.35 to 11.26 per 10,000 emergency visits after a new diagnosis code arrived in October 2025, which CDC reads as better recognition of cases that were being missed.
The real concern: CHS is real and rising, and it falls hardest on young heavy daily users: 38.70 per 10,000 emergency visits at ages 15 to 24.
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2026; Myran et al., JAMA Network Open, 2022
- Unsupported
The legal industry has spread crime and disorder.
“Rescheduling would bolster a socially disastrous legal weed industry that has spread crime and disorder in the streets.”Charles Fain Lehman, Manhattan Institute, Wall Street Journal op-ed, July 2025
What the evidence showsA 2026 RAND review found effects on violent and property crime “generally null and inconsistent,” with the strongest studies finding no significant change. In Denver, each added dispensary was linked to about 19% less crime in its neighborhood, and on the Washington–Oregon border, rapes and thefts fell on the side that legalized first. One Oregon study did find increases.
The real concern: Slow rollouts leave room for unlicensed storefronts. In November 2023, New York City had about 25 licensed stores and roughly 1,500 unlicensed sellers. That's a licensing and enforcement failure, not a reason to close licensed stores.
RAND, Indiana's Cannabis Landscape, Annex I, 2026; Brinkman and Mok-Lamme, 2019; Dragone et al., 2019; Wu et al., 2021; American Enterprise Institute, 2024
- Misleading
Cannabis must stay in Schedule I to protect public safety.
“Maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance is crucial to safeguarding public safety and well-being.”American Psychiatric Association, comment letter to the Justice Department, July 2024
What the evidence showsSchedule I is for drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. In 2023, HHS concluded cannabis meets the criteria for Schedule III, with abuse potential below Schedule I and II drugs, and DEA's 2024 proposed rule placed it in the lowest-ranking group for adverse outcomes compared with heroin, cocaine and, on some measures, alcohol. Schedule I doesn't govern state adult-use markets.
The real concern: The psychiatric worry is grounded. The National Academies found substantial evidence linking cannabis use to schizophrenia and other psychoses, with the highest risk among the most frequent users.
HHS rescheduling recommendation, 2023; DEA proposed rule, Federal Register, 2024; National Academies, 2017
- Misleading
Legalization failed because the illegal market is still most of the market.
“the illegal markets constitute approximately 75 percent of the $100 billion industry”Paul J. Larkin, Heritage Foundation, Legal Memorandum No. 380, August 2025
What the evidence showsA national share includes the many states with no legal stores, so it can't show that legal markets fail. Where legal stores are established, they push illegal sellers out: in Canada, the share of consumers buying from legal sources rose from 37% in 2019 to 72% in 2024, while illegal sourcing fell from 16% to 3%.
The real concern: Illegal supply hasn't disappeared even in mature U.S. markets: about 23% of Colorado's THC market was still illicit a decade after legalization. Prices and taxes decide how much of it legal stores win back. Across adult-use states, a 10% tax increase cut legal sales 12.6%.
Health Canada, 2024; Nargis et al., Health Affairs Scholar, 2025; Yoon et al., International Journal of Drug Policy, 2026
- Overstated
Delta-8 THC is more dangerous than the 2019 vaping lung-injury crisis.
“This represents a major consumer safety issue, posing dangers greater than the 'vape crisis' of 2019.”U.S. Cannabis Council (licensed-marijuana trade group, now the U.S. Cannabis Roundtable), Delta-8 kit, May 2021
What the evidence showsThe group offered lab tests of 16 products, not evidence of harm. Poison centers later logged 4,925 delta-8 exposures across 2021 and 2022, a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 people in 2022: a real problem, but nothing on the scale of the vaping outbreak's mass hospitalizations and deaths. Rates were lowest where cannabis was legal, 0.52 per 100,000, compared with 1.64 where it was illegal.
The real concern: Unregulated delta-8 is often mislabeled and contaminated. None of 27 tested delta-8 vapes were accurately labeled, and 15 of the group's 16 samples were over the legal delta-9 limit.
Smith et al., Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2024; Meehan-Atrash et al., Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2021
- Unsupported
Legalization brings more accidents at work.
“Increases in workplace problems, including labor shortages and accidents.”Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Impact Report 2026-27, January 2026
What the evidence showsSAM cites no study for this. A positive workplace THC test shows past use, often days or weeks earlier, not impairment on the job, and Quest's 2024 positivity held at 4.5% in the general workforce and 0.87% among federally regulated safety-sensitive workers. Medical cannabis laws were linked to 19.5% fewer workplace deaths among workers 25 to 44, and adult-use laws to fewer workers' compensation claims among those 40 to 62.
The real concern: Impairment at work is a real safety issue. In a Canadian study, using cannabis before or at work nearly doubled the risk of injury, even though use away from work didn't raise it.
Quest Diagnostics, 2025; Anderson, Rees and Tekin, International Journal of Drug Policy, 2018; Abouk et al., 2021; Carnide et al., Institute for Work & Health, 2023
- Misleading
Voters turn against rescheduling once they hear the details.
“62.7% of likely voters say they'd be less likely to support federal marijuana rescheduling if it gives companies more financial incentive to advertise to children.”Smart Approaches to Marijuana and On Message Inc., poll release, September 2025
What the evidence showsThe poll asked only loaded “less likely if…” questions and never a plain support-or-oppose question, so it measures reactions to a premise, not opinion on rescheduling. Asked directly in December 2025, 70% of adults approved of reclassifying marijuana and 16% disapproved.
The real concern: Voters care about marketing to kids, and so do we. Strong advertising rules belong in any legal market.
YouGov, opt-in online panel, December 2025; Gallup, November 2025
What we take seriously
Standing up for consumers means being straight about real risks. These are the ones the evidence supports, and what good policy does about each.
Young children eating edibles at home
Poison-center reports of edible exposures in children under 6 rose from 207 in 2017 to 3,054 in 2021. 97.7% happened at home, and 22.7% led to a hospital admission. Product form matters: in Canadian provinces that sold edibles, cannabis's share of child poisoning hospitalizations more than doubled, but not in Quebec, which banned candy- and chocolate-style edibles.
What good policy doesOpaque child-resistant packaging, no candy shapes or kid-appealing branding, clear per-serving doses, and real safe-storage education. The same rules for hemp edibles.
Tweet et al., Pediatrics, 2023; Myran et al., JAMA Health Forum, 2023
Daily high-potency use and psychosis
In a European study, daily use of high-potency cannabis (10% THC or more) carried 4.8 times the odds of a psychotic disorder compared with never using. The National Academies found substantial evidence of a link with schizophrenia, highest among the most frequent users, and in Denmark about 15% of schizophrenia cases in men were attributable to cannabis use disorder by 2021. Insurance data on 63.7 million insured Americans didn't show legalization raising psychosis-related care.
What good policy doesClear THC potency and dose labels, honest warnings for young men and people with a family history of psychosis, and cannabis revenue for early-psychosis services and treatment.
Di Forti et al., Lancet Psychiatry, 2019; Hjorthøj et al., Psychological Medicine, 2023; Elser et al., JAMA Network Open, 2023
Heavy daily use and use disorder
In 2022, for the first time, more Americans reported using cannabis daily or near-daily (17.7 million) than drinking that often (14.7 million). In 2025, 19.3 million people (6.7%) met the criteria for cannabis use disorder, including 14.1% of 18- to 25-year-olds. Most cases are mild, but about a quarter of young adults with the disorder have a severe form.
What good policy doesScreening and voluntary, low-barrier treatment paid for with cannabis taxes, and plain guidance that how often and how strong drive dependence risk. Health care, not handcuffs.
Caulkins, Addiction, 2024; SAMHSA, NSDUH 2025; National Academies, 2017
Driving too soon after using
Across 80 experimental studies, most driving skills recovered within about 5 hours of inhaling THC, and nearly all within 7. Edibles can last longer. In a placebo-controlled trial, 68.6% of participants felt ready to drive before their driving had recovered. Driving high raises crash risk modestly, with an odds ratio of about 1.36.
What good policy doesEnforcement aimed at impairment, with trained officers and validated tests instead of blood-THC numbers, and a clear public message: wait at least 5 hours after inhaling, longer after edibles.
McCartney et al., Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 2021; Marcotte et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2022; Rogeberg and Elvik, Addiction, 2016
Use during pregnancy and breastfeeding
The National Academies found substantial evidence linking cannabis smoking in pregnancy to lower birth weight. A meta-analysis of 16 studies (59,138 patients) linked prenatal exposure to more preterm births and NICU admissions. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' 2025 guidance advises stopping use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and calls for screening by interview rather than drug tests.
What good policy doesClear pregnancy warnings and non-judgmental counseling, without punitive drug tests or child-welfare referrals for use alone. At one Midwestern hospital, newborns of Black parents were drug tested far more often than those of white parents (7.3% versus 1.9%) when no prenatal test had been done.
National Academies, 2017; Marchand et al., JAMA Network Open, 2022; Schoneich et al., JAMA Network Open, 2023
Untested, mislabeled hemp intoxicants
None of 27 tested delta-8 vapes were accurately labeled, and 15 of 16 delta-8 products in another round of tests exceeded the legal delta-9 limit, on average by more than 10 times. Poison centers logged 4,925 delta-8 exposures in 2021 and 2022, with rates highest where delta-8 was unregulated. In 2025, 9% of 12th graders used hemp-derived THC products.
What good policy doesRegulate intoxicating hemp like cannabis: sales only to adults 21 and over, licensed retail, full-panel testing, accurate total-THC labels and child-resistant packaging. Regulate it rather than ban it.
Meehan-Atrash et al., 2021; Smith et al., Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2024; NIDA, Monitoring the Future 2025
Heart attack and stroke for frequent smokers
Among 434,104 U.S. adults, daily cannabis use was linked to 25% higher odds of heart attack and 42% higher odds of stroke. A 2025 review of 24 studies found risk ratios of 1.29 for acute coronary syndrome, 1.20 for stroke and 2.10 for cardiovascular death, though most of the studies were cross-sectional.
What good policy doesHeart risk in consumer education, clinicians who ask about cannabis use, and research on whether non-smoked forms are safer. The American Heart Association advises against smoking or vaping and says oral and topical forms may reduce some harms.
Jeffers et al., Journal of the American Heart Association, 2024; Storck et al., Heart, 2025; American Heart Association, 2020
Medical promises that outrun the evidence
A 2025 JAMA review of more than 2,500 papers found strong evidence for only three uses: appetite loss in HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy nausea and two rare seizure disorders. About 29% of medical users met the criteria for use disorder. The leading pain-science society doesn't endorse general use for pain, and the oncologists' guideline rates the evidence for most outcomes low or very low.
What good policy doesFederal research access, honest product claims, clinician or pharmacist guidance in medical programs, and qualifying conditions that follow the evidence while protecting patients' access.
Hsu et al., JAMA, 2025; International Association for the Study of Pain, 2021; ASCO guideline, 2024
Say it accurately
Some pro-reform talking points go further than the evidence. Stronger, accurate versions:
Don't say
Medical cannabis laws cut opioid overdose deaths by about 25%.Say Some patients use cannabis to cut back on opioids, and that deserves study and respect. But state-level data don't show that medical cannabis laws reduce overdose deaths; an early 25% finding didn't hold up.
Why: extending the original study's data through 2017 flipped the result (Shover et al., PNAS, 2019).
Don't say
More people are arrested for cannabis than for all violent crimes combined.Say Police still make about 218,000 marijuana arrests a year, and more than 9 in 10 are for possession.
Why: that was true through 2019, but not since (FBI, 2025).
Don't say
More than one in four of all U.S. arrests are for marijuana.Say About one in four U.S. drug arrests is for marijuana, most of them for simple possession.
Why: marijuana was about 23% of 858,852 drug arrests in 2025, a small share of all arrests (FBI, 2025).
Don't say
Licensed stores never sell to minors.Say Licensed cannabis stores refuse underage buyers in roughly 92 to 99% of state compliance checks, better than Oregon's alcohol sellers. Illegal sellers don't check ID at all.
Why: perfect scores come from small one-off operations (Oregon decoy data, 2026; Colorado MED, 2026).
Don't say
Teen use goes down after legalization.Say Legalization hasn't led to more teen use on average, and teen use is near historic lows nationally. Some studies do find increases, so we back strict age-21 enforcement.
Why: teen use fell in states that didn't legalize too (Lachance et al., 2022).
Don't say
There's no evidence legalization increases traffic deaths.Say Studies are mixed: some find small or temporary increases in crashes after retail sales begin, and others find none. Driving high does raise crash risk, so we back impairment-based enforcement and clear wait-time guidance.
Why: IIHS and a 2023 systematic review found some increases.
Who consumes cannabis
Not who you think. Today's consumers are veterans, nurses, retirees, parents and professionals. They vote and pay taxes.
Americans used cannabis last year
That's 21.2% of everyone 12 and older. More than three in four of them, 47.2 million, are adults 26 and up.
of adults 30 to 49 smoke cannabis
Overall, 17% of U.S. adults say they smoke cannabis, up from 7% in 2013, and 15% use edibles. Cigarette smoking is at a record low of 11%.
call it morally wrong
More than three in four Americans don't see cannabis use as a moral failing. The 23% who do is close to the 16% who say that about alcohol and below the 29% who say it about gambling.
How regulation works
Every licensed product goes through a chain of oversight the unregulated market never will. In order:
- Cultivation
Licensed grows with state inspections, pesticide limits and documented inputs.
- Lab testing
Third-party tests for potency, pesticides, heavy metals and microbes.
- Labeling
Dose, ingredients, warnings and child-resistant packaging.
- Tracking
Seed-to-sale systems follow every product from harvest to sale.
- Age check
ID at the counter. 21 and over only.
Licensed store
- Lab-tested for potency and contaminants
- Child-resistant packaging required by law
- Accurate dose on every label
- ID checked, 21 and over
- State inspections and licenses
- Every product traceable
- Recourse if a product is mislabeled
Unregulated market
- Unknown potency, pesticides or additives
- Often sold in unmarked containers
- No dose information
- No age check
- No inspections
- No way to trace a bad product
- Synthetic cannabinoids increasingly common
Know your rights
Your rights vary by state. These are the basics so you're never caught off guard.
Growing at home
Many legal states let adults grow a few plants for personal use. Oregon allows up to 4 per household for adults 21 and over. Know your state's limit and keep plants out of public view.
Driving and travel
In legal states you can usually carry cannabis in a sealed container in your car. Open containers are treated like open alcohol. Never cross state lines with cannabis, even between two legal states.
At work
Some states bar employers from punishing off-duty use. Many don't, and safety-sensitive jobs and federal contractors have fewer protections. Check your state's law before telling an employer. Keep it off the clock: a study of 2,745 Canadian workers found that use away from work didn't raise injury risk on the job, but use before or during work nearly doubled it (Institute for Work & Health).
Medical patients
Patients often get higher possession limits, access where adult use isn't legal, and sometimes job and housing protections.
If you're cited or arrested
Stay calm. Don't argue at the scene. Don't consent to a search without a warrant. Contact a lawyer who knows cannabis law. NORML's legal committee can help.
Your right to speak up
You can testify at hearings, write your legislators and vote. When consumers show up, outcomes change: Oregon's 10mg edible cap passed the Senate in 2026, then died in the House after consumers and businesses pushed back.
State-by-state laws: NORML. This is general information, not legal advice.
Policy watch
Bills that affect consumers in Oregon, Hawai'i and nationally. For ballot measures this November, see Rollback Watch.
- Defeated
SB 1548: edible packaging and 10mg cap
Would have required individual wrapping for every edible piece regardless of dose and capped each piece at 10mg THC. The claims behind it weren't supported by Oregon's Poison Center data, peer-reviewed pharmacology or packaging research. It passed the Senate 22-5, then died in a House committee after consumers and businesses pushed back.
Sen. Reynolds has said she'll bring back a 10mg cap with new warning labels in 2027. Oregon today caps packages at 100mg with no per-piece limit.
- Active
Rescheduling to Schedule III
An April 2026 Justice Department order moved state-licensed medical cannabis and FDA-approved products to Schedule III. The DEA hearing on rescheduling all cannabis was paused on September 29 so a GAO report on gaps in the scheduling process could be considered. Lawsuits from opponents are consolidated in the D.C. Circuit, which has refused to block the change. Adult-use cannabis is still Schedule I, and criminal penalties haven't changed.
- Takes effect
Federal ban on hemp-derived THC
Products with more than 0.4mg total THC per container will no longer count as legal hemp under federal law. A stopgap funding bill signed September 3 pushed the start date from November 12 to December 11. Synthetic cannabinoids the plant can't produce naturally are still banned starting November 12. Bills to regulate instead of ban are pending, but none has passed.
- Watching
Adult-use legalization
Hawai'i keeps delaying adult-use policy. Consumers need to organize before the next session.
Safe storage
Most pediatric exposures come down to one fixable thing: adults not storing products securely.
of pediatric edible ER events
are attributed to unsafe storage.
Canadian review, ScienceDirect
happen in the child's own home
where an adult brought the product.
AAP Pediatrics, 2023
got no storage advice
Cannabis users in homes with children who never heard about storage from a store or clinician.
Poison Control
Save the number. If a child eats cannabis, call right away. Most cases are manageable with quick attention.
Lock it up
Use a locked box or cabinet. A high shelf isn't enough.
Keep the original package
Licensed products come in child-resistant packaging. Don't move them into unlabeled containers.
Talk to your household
Everyone at home should know where cannabis is kept, why it's locked, and that it isn't food even if it looks like it.
Research library
The sources behind our arguments: peer-reviewed science, government data and established polling, grouped by the questions people argue about. Newest first within each question.
- Kids & teens 16
- Roads 4
- Mental health 2
- Physical health 7
- Medical use 8
- Products & hemp 3
- Arrests & records 15
- Equity & ownership 2
- Markets, prices & taxes 11
- Consumer rights 5
- Crime & communities 6
- Public opinion 10
- Who consumers are 7
Each entry is labeled for what it means for consumers. Our case backs consumers' position. Take seriously is a real risk or problem. Contested is a finding other strong studies dispute. Context is useful background that doesn't cut clearly either way.
Kids & teens
Does legal cannabis put kids and teens at risk? 16 sources
- Our case
Minor decoy operations, cannabis retailers
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission open data, 2026
In 2026 checks through early October, licensed cannabis shops refused an underage decoy 210 times out of 227 (about 92.5%). Alcohol sellers refused 427 of 522 (about 81.8%, alcohol data). Cannabis shops still made 17 sales, so enforcement matters.
- Our case
National Survey on Drug Use and Health, detailed tables
SAMHSA, July 2026 (2025 data)
Past-year use among 12- to 17-year-olds fell to 8.7% in 2025 from 10.4% in 2024. Across all ages 12 and up, 61.6 million people (21.2%) used cannabis in the past year.
- Context
Drug-Free Communities Support Program
U.S. Government Accountability Office, June 2026
GAO found the White House drug office lacks the performance data to back its claim that this federal youth prevention program reduces substance use.
“However, that report states that it is not possible to establish a causal relationship between substance use changes in communities and the DFC program.”
- Our case
Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, 2025 results
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2026
Current cannabis use among high schoolers fell from 13% in 2023 to 10% in 2025, and the share who say it would be easy to get dropped from 40% to 34%.
“10% of youth used marijuana within the past month”
- Our case
Youth cannabis use in Minnesota, 2025
Minnesota Department of Health, December 2025
Two years after Minnesota legalized, 95.9% of 8th, 9th and 11th graders reported no cannabis use in the past month. Use has declined every survey since 2013.
“In 2025, 4.1% of Minnesota students reported any past month cannabis use, while 6.3% reported any past year use.”
- Our case
Cannabis-related hospitalizations among children and youth in Manitoba
Taillieu, Sareen et al., International Journal of Population Data Science, July 2026
Ten years of data on residents 18 and under found no statistically significant rise in cannabis-related hospitalizations after Canada legalized.
“…legalization of cannabis did not appear to increase the number of cannabis-related hospitalizations among children and youth in Manitoba…”
- Our case
2025 Regulatory and Enforcement Update
Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, February 2026
Colorado ran 469 underage compliance checks at licensed cannabis businesses in 2025 and reported a 99% compliance rate. Regulators also investigated 309 licenses as part of preventing youth access.
“The Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) conducted 469 underage compliance checks in 2025 as part of its focus on preventing youth access to marijuana…”
- Our case
Monitoring the Future, 2025
National Institutes of Health, December 2025
Survey of 23,726 students at 270 schools. Past-year cannabis use was about 26% among 12th graders, 16% of 10th graders and 8% of 8th graders.
“Cannabis use remained stable among all grades, with 8% of eighth graders, 16% of 10th graders, and 26% of 12th graders reporting use in the past 12 months.”
- Context
Cannabis poisoning in Oregon
OPB (news report), August 2025
Reporting on Oregon's pediatric exposure data, including the Poison Center director's view that storage education is what works.
- Our case
Oregon Poison Center Annual Report
Oregon Health & Science University
Cannabis edibles aren't among the top 10 causes of accidental poisoning in Oregon children under 6. Cleaners (1,659), cosmetics (1,636) and pain relievers (1,606) rank far higher.
- Contested
Cannabis hospitalizations among Canadian youth after legalization
Myran et al., American Journal of Public Health, May 2025
Across 137,901 cannabis-related hospitalizations of Canadians 15 to 44, hospitalizations for youths under the legal age fell 34% relative to those over it three and a half years after legalization, while hospitalizations of legal-age adults kept rising. A published letter argues the authors overstate the finding.
- Our case
High school marijuana use, 2011 to 2021
Yang et al., Pediatric Reports, October 2024
In CDC survey data on 88,183 high schoolers, current use fell from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021, and trying it before age 13 fell from 8.1% to 4.9%, over a decade when many states legalized. It's a national trend, not a test of legalization itself.
“…dropped significantly from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021…”
- Our case
Current cannabis use among U.S. youth and adults, 2013 to 2022
Mattingly, Richardson and Hart, Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, September 2024
In federal survey data on 543,195 people, past-month use among 12- to 17-year-olds held steady from 2013 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2022, while overall use among everyone 12 and older rose from 7.59% to 11.48% and from 13.13% to 15.11%. A 2020 survey change splits the trend into two periods.
- Our case
The public health effects of legalizing marijuana
Anderson and Rees, Journal of Economic Literature, March 2023
A review of the economics research found near consensus that legalization hasn't increased teen use, and convincing evidence that young adults drink less alcohol where cannabis is legal. Effects on opioid deaths, traffic deaths and crime were harder to pin down.
“…researchers have produced little credible evidence to suggest that legalization promotes marijuana use among teenagers…”
- Take seriously
Retailer marketing and compliance in five western cities
Berg et al., Addictive Behaviors, 2023
Audits of 150 randomly chosen stores in Denver, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in 2022 found age-verification rates above 90%. Auditors also flagged problems: 20.7% had youth-oriented signs, 18.0% youth-oriented packaging and 28.7% made health claims.
- Take seriously
Pediatric Cannabis Edible Exposures: California ED Survey
Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2021
45% of cannabis users in homes with children got no storage information. Only 44.8% kept cannabis both locked and hidden.
Roads
Does legal cannabis make the roads less safe? 4 sources
- Our case
Per se DUI laws and blood THC after abstinence
Fitzgerald, Marcotte et al., Clinical Chemistry, 2025
After 48 hours without cannabis, 24% of 190 regular consumers were over a 2 ng/mL legal limit, yet they drove a simulator no worse than people below it.
“Many regular users of cannabis exceed zero tolerance and per se THC cutpoint concentrations days after their last use, risking legal consequences despite no evidence of impairment.”
- Our case
Motor vehicle crashes near dispensaries after legalization
Weleff, Mathis et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2025
Comparing Connecticut with Maryland, legalization had no significant effect on crashes statewide, and crash rates within 800 meters of 13 new dispensaries didn't change.
- Context
Impairing substances among injured drivers in Canada
Brubacher et al., JAMA Network Open, April 2025
Blood tests on 8,328 injured drivers at 15 trauma centres from 2019 to 2023 found 16.3% had any detectable THC and 3.3% had 5 ng/mL or more, compared with 12.3% at a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher. Detecting a substance doesn't prove impairment.
- Our case
Drug and alcohol crash risk: a case-control study
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, December 2016
Comparing more than 3,000 crash-involved drivers with more than 6,000 others in Virginia Beach, THC-positive drivers had no higher crash risk once age, gender, race and alcohol were accounted for (odds ratio 1.00). Drivers at 0.08 breath alcohol had 3.93 times the risk. NHTSA cautions that this doesn't make driving high safe.
“This study should not be interpreted to mean that it is safe for individuals who have used substances to operate a vehicle – this is a complex issue.”
Mental health
What does cannabis do to mental health? 2 sources
- Our case
Treatment Episode Data Set, 2024
SAMHSA, 2026
States reported 1,583,823 treatment admissions in 2024. Among the 1,319,485 with a reported primary substance, cannabis was the main one in 115,913, or 8.8%, and SAMHSA says its share declined gradually from 2020 to 2024. The data count admissions, not people, and cover state-reported programs.
“Marijuana/Hashish gradually represented a smaller percentage of admissions over the 5-year period…”
- Our case
Cognition the morning after cannabis use
Matheson, Di Ciano et al., Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 2026
Regular consumers tested 12 to 15 hours after smoking showed no significant differences from 65 non-users on any cognitive test. Higher-potency products were linked to weaker memory scores.
Physical health
What does cannabis do to the body? 7 sources
- Our case
Cannabis detection among overdose deaths, 2021 to 2025
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2026
Across 209,166 overdose deaths in 31 states and DC, cannabis was detected in 21% but listed as a cause in 0.8%. It was the only drug involved in 9 deaths.
“Cannabis was listed as causing death in 0.8% of overdose deaths.”
- Take seriously
Prenatal cannabis exposure and child development: 72 studies reviewed
Domingues, Fonseca and Sá, European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2026
Most of the 72 observational studies found no adjusted link between cannabis use in pregnancy and children's overall cognition, language or motor skills. But most did find links to weaker behavior regulation (73% of studies), attention (69%) and executive function (70%), sometimes stronger with heavier use. The safest choice in pregnancy is not to use.
“Current evidence does not consistently support global neurodevelopmental impairment following prenatal cannabis exposure but suggests a pattern of selective vulnerability in behavioural, attention and executive regulatory domains.”
- Context
Cannabis use and metabolic disease in the UK Biobank
Zhou et al., Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, April 2026
Among 91,002 UK adults followed over time, cannabis users had an 18% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio 0.82), and heavy users a lower risk of obesity. The pattern reversed for moderate users who already had a BMI over 30. It's observational, so it can't show cannabis caused the difference.
“Cannabis use was associated with modestly lower observed risks of several metabolic outcomes, particularly among individuals with BMI<25.”
- Our case
Drug harms in Canada: an expert ranking
Crépault et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology, January 2026
Twenty experts scored 16 substances on 16 kinds of harm to users and others. Alcohol scored highest at 79, then tobacco at 45 and non-prescription opioids at 33. Cannabis ranked sixth at 15, just behind cocaine and methamphetamine at 19. Scores reflect harm across the whole population, which depends partly on how many people use each drug.
- Our case
California legalization and drinking among Kaiser patients
Van Doren et al., Addiction, July 2025
Across 8,028,627 primary-care screenings of 3,525,493 Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients from 2015 to 2019, the 2016 legalization vote was followed by gradual declines in drinking and heavy drinking, most consistently among adults 35 to 49. Some younger and older groups saw short-term increases first.
- Context
Adult-use laws and adult drinking and smoking
De and Sun, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, February 2025
Among 4,841,891 adults surveyed from 2012 to 2022, passing an adult-use law wasn't tied to any change in drinking or tobacco use. Once stores opened, current drinking fell 0.95 percentage points and cigarette smoking 0.48 points, though some groups used more smokeless tobacco. The authors call the overall effects limited.
“Considering the passage of laws as cannabis law implementation, recreational cannabis laws were not associated with any alcohol or tobacco use outcomes in the fully adjusted model.”
- Our case
The Endocannabinoid System and Breathing
Wiese et al., Frontiers in Neuroscience, April 2023
University of Arizona pharmacology review. States plainly that THC doesn't cause respiratory depression, and separates natural THC from far more potent synthetic cannabinoids.
Medical use
Does medical cannabis help patients? 8 sources
- Our case
Cannabis laws and opioid prescribing for veterans in pain
Mannes, Hasin et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, September 2026
In VA health records for chronic-pain patients from 2013 to 2022, medical cannabis laws were linked to a 0.79-percentage-point drop in opioid prescriptions of 30 days or more and a 0.34-point drop in long-term opioid therapy, with small increases in high-dose prescribing. Adult-use laws were tied to further declines. The authors call the effects modest.
“Findings suggest that greater legal cannabis access may be associated with modest reductions in opioid prescriptions among patients with chronic pain…”
- Our case
Oral THC for PTSD nightmares: a randomized trial
Roepke et al., Nature Medicine, August 2026 (Bionorica-funded trial)
In a 10-week German trial of 171 people with PTSD, a bedtime dose of oral THC (dronabinol, 2.5 to 15 mg) eased nightmares more than placebo, a moderate effect. Side effects were more common on THC (89.7% versus 77.1%), and serious adverse events occurred in 8.0% on THC versus none on placebo. The drug's maker funded the study.
“This trial provides evidence that dronabinol reduces the frequency and intensity of PTSD-related nightmares, although long-term efficacy and safety require further evaluation.”
- Our case
Cannabis legalization and non-fatal opioid poisonings
Hou, Talbert and Jayawardhana, Preventive Medicine Reports, 2026
Using insurance claims for 107 million adults aged 18 to 64, medical cannabis dispensaries (MCDs) were tied to a 15.5% drop in non-fatal opioid poisonings and recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) to an 11.9% drop.
- Our case
Cannabis legalization and opioid use among people who inject drugs
Haley, Cooper et al., Drug and Alcohol Dependence, March 2026
Among 28,069 people who inject drugs (PWID) in 13 states, living where adult use is legal (versus medical only) was linked to a 9 to 11% lower chance of daily opioid misuse.
- Our case
Medical cannabis and cancer symptoms
Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, September 2026
Of 6,621 cancer patients who bought medical cannabis, among those with moderate to severe symptoms, 47% saw vomiting improve by at least 30% within four months, and about 40% for nausea and for anxiety. 14.5% reported side effects, mostly mild.
“…47.2% (n = 845) reported a ≥30% reduction in vomiting scores within four months of first medical cannabis purchase.”
- Our case
Benefits of medical cannabis for patients with pain
Christensen, Park and Rak, Clinical Therapeutics, September 2026 (Minnesota program data)
Among 6,010 chronic pain patients with moderate to severe symptoms, about 55% gained at least 30% in life enjoyment and 41% saw that much pain relief at four months.
“…54.9% reported a ≥30% score improvement for life enjoyment, 54.7% reported improvement in general activity interference, and 40.8% reported improvement in pain score…”
- Context
Cannabinoids and sleep: a meta-analysis of trials
da Silva et al., Sleep Medicine Reviews, December 2025
Across six randomized trials with 1,077 patients, cannabinoids improved self-reported sleep quality over placebo. Products with THC or other non-CBD cannabinoids showed larger effects, while CBD-only products showed no significant benefit. Results varied widely between trials.
- Contested
Dispensary counts and opioid deaths by county
Hsu and Kovács, BMJ, January 2021
Across 812 counties in 23 states from 2014 to 2018, more dispensaries were linked to fewer opioid deaths: going from one to two in a county was associated with about 17% fewer, especially deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. It's observational, and a later re-analysis tied retail dispensaries to higher opioid deaths.
“Higher medical and recreational storefront dispensary counts are associated with reduced opioid related death rates, particularly deaths associated with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.”
Products & hemp
Are cannabis and hemp products safe and honestly labeled? 3 sources
- Take seriously
CBD label accuracy across 937 products
Szyrner, Serracino-Inglott and Vella Szijj, University of Malta, Phytochemistry Letters, June 2026
Pooling 28 lab studies from 2017 to 2025, only 31.3% of 937 CBD products had CBD within 10% of the label. Topicals were worst at 13.8% and oils best at 41.3%. Some contained THC, synthetic cannabinoids, heavy metals, pesticides or solvents, which is the case for testing and labeling rules, not bans.
- Our case
CBD and liver enzymes in advanced cancer
Scarborough et al., BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 2026
Pooling two Australian placebo-controlled trials in 287 people with advanced cancer, CBD at up to 600 mg a day and a THC/CBD product didn't raise liver enzymes over four weeks, and no treated patient crossed the safety limits. These are short-term results only.
“Medicinal cannabis did not cause elevation of ALT or AST in patients with advanced malignancy at the doses studied (up to 600 mg CBD/day).”
- Take seriously
Measuring commercial cannabis availability in 12 states
Nargis, Asare and Westmaas, American Cancer Society, Health Affairs Scholar, 2025
A decade after legalization, about 23% of Colorado's THC market is still illicit. Hemp-derived THC made up 34% of the Texas market.
“The emergence of hemp-derived THC in both legal and non-legal markets alongside the persistence of illicit THC sales in legal markets highlight regulatory gaps and challenges in market oversight.”
Arrests & records
Are people still being arrested, and are old records being cleared? 15 sources
- Take seriously
Racial disparities in California cannabis arrests, 2025
California NORML (advocacy group) analysis of California DOJ arrest data, September 2026
California made 2,432 marijuana arrests in 2025. Adjusting for population, Black residents were arrested at 6.4 times the white rate, up from 5.2 in 2024 and 3.51 in 2016 before legalization; Latinos at 2.26 times. Arrests have collapsed but the gap has widened, though small numbers make the ratios swing year to year.
“Blacks were 6.4 times more likely as Whites to be arrested for marijuana crimes…”
- Our case
2025 FBI arrest data
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer, 2025 data (totals as tallied by NORML, August 2026)
Police made 218,152 cannabis arrests in 2025, up from about 203,000 in 2024. 200,960 were for possession, roughly 23% of all drug arrests, and about 13% of agencies didn't report.
- Our case
The State of Enforcement
Marijuana Policy Project (advocacy group) analysis of FBI data, 2026
Arrest rates fell an average of 85.5% after states legalized. Prohibition states made 186,581 arrests in 2025, more than eight times the 22,357 in legal states.
“Cannabis arrests dropped in every state after legalization.”
- Context
Quick Facts: Marijuana Trafficking Offenses
U.S. Sentencing Commission, fiscal year 2025
About 323 people were sentenced federally for marijuana trafficking, 2% of drug trafficking cases and down 62% since fiscal 2021. The average sentence was 44 months.
“…2% of such cases involved marijuana (down 62% since fiscal year 2021).”
- Our case
Legalization, arrests and racial disparities
Meinhofer, Rubli and Cunningham, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, May 2026
Legalization cut possession arrests 62% for white people and 51% for Black people across 11 states, narrowing the racial gap but not closing it. Serious violent and property crime did not rise, though hospitalizations involving cannabis and other drugs did.
“We find that legalization reduces cannabis possession and sales arrests for White and Black populations, narrowing but not eliminating disparities.”
- Our case
Recreational marijuana legalization and personal bankruptcy
Wang and Wu, Finance Research Letters, 2026
Adult-use laws cut cannabis arrests by about 87% and were linked to roughly 12% fewer personal bankruptcy filings, as fewer households faced fines and legal fees.
- Our case
Maryland cannabis pardon order
Office of Gov. Wes Moore, June 2024
Maryland pardoned about 175,000 misdemeanor convictions, more than 150,000 for simple cannabis possession and more than 18,000 for paraphernalia. A pardon is not an expungement: the convictions stay on records unless people separately apply to clear them.
- Our case
Minnesota automatic expungements completed
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, May 2024
The state finished sealing 57,780 cannabis records automatically, nearly three months early. Felony-level cases go to the Cannabis Expungement Board for individual review.
“The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has expunged (also referred to as sealing) 57,780 records in CHS almost three months ahead of schedule.”
- Our case
Rhode Island Judiciary 2023 annual report
Rhode Island Judiciary, 2023
More than 23,000 cannabis possession cases were expunged automatically and at no cost: 3,015 in Superior Court, 10,650 in District Court and 9,952 at the Traffic Tribunal. Counts are cases, not people, and the Traffic Tribunal cases were civil violations.
“Judiciary-wide, more than 23,000 cases were expunged: 3,015 individual cases were expunged in the Superior Court, 10,650 in the District Court, and 9,952 cases in the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal.”
- Our case
California report on cannabis conviction relief
California Attorney General, AB 1706 report, March 2023
Of 227,650 cannabis convictions the state flagged as eligible in 2019, 197,205 had been dismissed, sealed, recalled or reduced by January 2023, and 30,445 were still waiting on the courts. Counts are convictions, not people.
- Our case
Oregon clemency report to the Legislature
Office of Gov. Kate Brown, January 2023
In November 2022, Oregon's governor pardoned all 47,144 qualifying convictions for possessing an ounce or less, affecting about 45,000 people. Court records for the pardoned cases were sealed, as state law requires.
“As required by law, the court records associated with these pardoned cases have been sealed.”
- Our case
Connecticut automatic erasure of cannabis convictions
Office of Gov. Ned Lamont, December 2022
About 44,000 low-level cases were set to be fully or partially erased automatically on January 1, 2023, covering possession of under four ounces from 2000 to September 2015. Other cannabis convictions require a petition. The number is the state's advance estimate.
“Records in approximately 44,000 cases will be fully or partially erased.”
- Context
Federal simple possession and the 2022 pardon
U.S. Sentencing Commission, October 2022
7,699 people were sentenced federally for simple marijuana possession from 1992 to 2021, including 6,577 U.S. citizens, the group relevant to the October 2022 presidential pardon. None were still in federal prison. The pardon did not expunge their records.
“As of January 29, 2022, no offenders remain in BOP custody.”
- Our case
Cannabis Control Board meeting minutes
New York Office of Cannabis Management, October 2021
About 198,000 marijuana records had been cleared under New York's 2019 law, and about 203,000 more charges were being suppressed from background checks and expunged under the 2021 legalization law, together more than 400,000. The second group was still in process at the time.
“Approximately 203,000 cannabis-related charges are presently being suppressed from criminal background searches and in process of being expunged.”
- Our case
New Jersey courts expunge marijuana cases
New Jersey Judiciary, September 2021
In the 11 weeks after the law took effect on July 1, 2021, New Jersey courts expunged more than 362,000 marijuana and hashish cases, and more than 1,200 people were released from probation.
Equity & ownership
Are the communities hit hardest by prohibition sharing in legal cannabis? 2 sources
- Our case
Cannabis Control Board licensing update
New York Office of Cannabis Management, August 2026
56% of New York's 2,322 adult-use licenses have gone to social and economic equity applicants, and 705 stores are open.
“Of all adult-use licenses statewide, 56 percent have been awarded to Social and Economic Equity (SEE) applicants.”
- Our case
Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) grants
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2026
Illinois sends 25% of adult-use cannabis tax to R3, which has granted more than $330 million since 2021 to communities hit hardest by the drug war.
“Since its inception in 2021, ICJIA has awarded more than $330 million in R3 grant funding to community organizations across Illinois.”
Markets, prices & taxes
Do legal markets work, and what do prices and taxes do? 11 sources
- Context
Banking services: cannabis businesses face access challenges
U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 2026
About 1,000 banks and credit unions reported cannabis activity in 2024. Licensed cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) still report account closures, high fees and trouble taking card payments.
“CRBs may experience bank account closures, high fees for bank accounts, and high interest rates for business loans.”
- Context
Cannabis excise tax collections, fiscal 2026
U.S. Census Bureau, September 2026
Thirty states and DC collected an estimated $3.55 billion in cannabis excise and similar taxes from July 2025 to June 2026, up 15.7% from fiscal 2022. The count leaves out general sales taxes and some local taxes.
“…total cannabis tax revenue increased 15.7%, rising from $3.06 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2022 to $3.55 billion in FY 2026.”
- Our case
States surpass $28 billion in adult-use tax revenue
Marijuana Policy Project (advocacy group) analysis of state revenue reports, June 2026
States have collected $28.4 billion from adult-use sales since 2014, including a record $4.57 billion in 2025. California topped $1 billion last year.
“States have generated a combined total of more than $28.4 billion in tax revenue from legal adult-use cannabis sales since the first markets launched in Colorado and Washington in 2014…”
- Our case
California cannabis tax revenue
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, May 2026
California has collected more than $8.1 billion in cannabis taxes since 2018. Excise tax supports child care, youth prevention and research.
“Since January 2018, cannabis sales have generated more than $8.1 billion in tax revenue…”
- Context
U.S. Cannabis Jobs Report 2026
Vangst and Whitney Economics, 2026
The legal industry employed about 412,500 people in 2025 on $29.1 billion in sales, the first year sales declined, as prices fell.
- Context
Indiana's cannabis landscape
RAND Corporation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, April 2026
Even under prohibition, Hoosiers spend an estimated $1.2 billion to $2.6 billion a year on cannabis (best estimate about $1.8 billion), and about 1.3 million Indiana residents 12 and older used it in the past year.
“It likely ranges from $1.2 billion to $2.6 billion annually, with a best estimate at approximately $1.8 billion in total annual spending.”
- Context
Recreational marijuana taxes by state, 2026
Tax Foundation (free-market tax policy group), April 2026
State adult-use excise taxes range from 6% of the retail price in Missouri to 37% in Washington, before general sales and local taxes. The group recommends keeping taxes low enough for legal stores to compete with illegal sellers.
“…low enough to allow legal markets to compete with illicit markets, thereby reducing individual and societal harm.”
- Our case
How taxes affect prices and legal cannabis demand
Yoon, Shang et al., International Journal of Drug Policy, 2026
Across adult-use states from 2014 to 2023, a 10% tax increase cut legal sales 12.6%. Each $1 of tax raised retail prices $4 to $6, and higher taxes lowered revenue.
- Context
Sales of cannabis and alcohol in Canada
Statistics Canada, March 2026
In the year ending March 2025, legal cannabis sales rose 6.1% to $5.5 billion (Canadian), while alcohol sales fell 1.6% to $25.8 billion and alcohol volume fell 3.0%. Sales figures alone don't prove people switched from one to the other.
“Sales of recreational cannabis by provincial cannabis authorities and other retail outlets increased 6.1% or $0.3 billion from the previous fiscal year to $5.5 billion in 2024/2025.”
- Our case
Marijuana usage and taxes
Ridgway and Hrdinová, Ohio State University Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, March 2026
Found no apparent correlation between state cannabis tax rates and use. Washington taxes at 43.5% and has about 22% monthly use; New Jersey taxes at 6.6% and has about 14%.
- Our case
Legal and illegal cannabis sources in Canada
Rundle, Hammond et al., Drug and Alcohol Review, August 2025
Surveys of 2,686 Canadian consumers in 2022 and 2023 found that, on average, 78% of the cannabis they used came from legal sources. Legal flower still cost 23.8% more per unit than illegal, but the price gap has narrowed considerably.
Consumer rights
Does off-duty use make workers less safe, and can they be punished for it? 5 sources
- Context
Hair and oral-fluid drug testing, 2025 data
Quest Diagnostics (drug-testing company), July 2026
Marijuana positivity in 2025 was 4.4% in urine, 11.1% in oral fluid and 15.1% in hair tests. Hair tests pick up use from months earlier, so they say nothing about whether someone was impaired at work.
“Over the past five years, overall hair test positivity for marijuana increased 58.9% (9.5% in 2021 vs. 15.1% in 2025).”
- Context
Drug Testing Index, 2024 data
Quest Diagnostics (drug-testing company), September 2025
Across more than 8 million workplace tests, marijuana positivity held at 4.5% in the general workforce and fell to 0.87% among federally regulated safety-sensitive workers. It was 7.3% in post-accident tests. A positive test shows past use, not impairment, and doesn't prove a drug caused an accident.
“Marijuana remains the most frequently detected substance, with positivity holding steady at 4.5% in the general U.S. workforce year over year.”
- Our case
Workers' cannabis use and injury risk in Canada
Carnide et al., Institute for Work & Health, Canadian Journal of Public Health, 2023
Following 2,745 Canadian workers from 2018 to 2020, using cannabis away from work wasn't linked to a higher risk of injury on the job. Using it before or at work nearly doubled the risk.
“Compared to no past-year cannabis use, there was no difference in workplace injury risk for non-workplace cannabis use (RR 1.09, 95%CI 0.83–1.44).”
- Our case
Recreational legalization and workers' compensation
Abouk, Ghimire, Maclean and Powell, National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, 2021
Among adults 40 to 62, adult-use (recreational marijuana, or RML) laws were followed by a 0.18-percentage-point drop in receiving workers' compensation (WC), about 20% of a low baseline, and a 20.5% drop in annual benefits. It's a working paper, not yet peer reviewed.
“We find that WC receipt declines in response to RML adoption both in terms of the propensity to receive benefits and benefit amount.”
- Our case
Medical marijuana laws and workers' compensation claims
Ghimire and Maclean, Health Economics, 2020
In national survey data from 1989 to 2012, workers' compensation claims and benefit income fell after states passed medical cannabis laws. The authors call the reductions very modest.
“Our estimates show that, post MML, WC claiming declines, both the propensity to claim and the level of income from WC.”
Crime & communities
Do cannabis stores bring crime or hurt neighborhoods? 6 sources
- Our case
Local cannabis businesses and home prices in New Jersey
Rutgers New Jersey State Policy Lab, September 2022
Home sale prices rose 1.7% more, about $6,763 for the average home, in towns that allowed cannabis businesses than in towns that opted out. The authors say this doesn't prove cause, but allowing businesses didn't hurt prices in the short run.
“…the average home sale price increased by 1.7% more following the deadline to opt-out in municipalities that allowed cannabis-related businesses…”
- Contested
Recreational legalization and crime in Oregon
Wu, Wen and Wilson, Journal of Criminal Justice, 2021
Comparing Oregon with states that hadn't legalized, using FBI data from 2007 to 2017, this study found relative increases in property and violent crime after Oregon's 2014 law. It's a single-state study, and it conflicts with the strongest studies, which find no significant change.
“Results provide some evidence demonstrating a crime-exacerbating effect of recreational marijuana legalization”
- Our case
Retail cannabis stores and nearby house prices in Denver
Conklin, Diop and Li, Real Estate Economics, 2020
After Denver's 2014 retail launch, single-family homes within about 0.1 mile of a medical dispensary that converted to retail gained about 8% in value relative to homes slightly farther away.
“We find that single-family residences close to a retail conversion increased in value by approximately 8% relative to houses that are located slightly farther away.”
- Our case
Dispensaries and neighborhood crime in Denver
Brinkman and Mok-Lamme, Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2019
Each additional dispensary in a Denver neighborhood was linked to 17 fewer crimes a month per 10,000 residents, about a 19% drop. The effect was highly local, with no spillover to nearby neighborhoods.
“…an additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a 19 percent decline”
- Our case
Crime and the legalization of recreational marijuana
Dragone, Prarolo, Vanin and Zanella, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2019
Comparing counties on either side of the Washington–Oregon border, rapes and thefts fell on the Washington side after it legalized in 2012, relative to Oregon, which hadn't yet. The follow-up period was short.
“…the legalization of recreational marijuana caused a significant reduction of rapes and thefts on the Washington side of the border in 2013-2014 relative to the Oregon side”
- Our case
Retail marijuana and housing values in Colorado
Cheng, Mayer and Mayer, Economic Inquiry, 2018
Comparing Colorado towns that allowed retail sales with those that didn't, legalization raised home values about 6% on average, with effects varying by location and property type. Gains in early-adopting states may not carry over to later ones.
“Our estimates show that the legalization leads to an average 6% increase in housing values, indicating that the capitalized benefits outweigh the costs.”
Public opinion
Where does the public stand on legal cannabis? 10 sources
- Our case
Massachusetts Question 8 poll
MassINC Polling Group for CommonWealth Beacon, 800 likely voters, September 2026
61% of likely voters would vote no on Question 8, which would end legal adult-use sales and change possession penalties; 27% would vote yes and 11% were undecided (poll release).
- Our case
North Carolina views on legalization
Elon University Poll, 800 adults, September 2026
55% of North Carolina adults support legalizing recreational marijuana and 30% oppose; 75% support medical legalization. Recreational support splits 74% of Democrats to 33% of Republicans. The margin of error is about 5 points.
“…55% were in support of legalization compared with 30% who opposed it and 15% who were unsure.”
- Our case
Massachusetts Question 8 poll
UMass Amherst Poll and WCVB, 800 registered voters, August 2026
55% would vote no on repealing legal, taxed adult-use sales and 33% would vote yes, with 10% undecided.
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Facts about marijuana
Pew Research Center, survey of 8,512 adults, January 2026 (published May 2026)
88% say cannabis should be legal for medical or adult use; 55% back both. About two-thirds of Democrats back full legalization, compared with 44% of Republicans.
“A majority of U.S. adults (55%) say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, and another 33% say it should be legal for medical use only.”
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Most Americans support legal marijuana
YouGov, 1,105 adults, opt-in online panel, April 2026
59% favor making marijuana use legal and 28% oppose. 84% back legal medical marijuana, including 81% of Republicans.
“A majority (59%) of Americans somewhat or strongly support making the use of marijuana legal in the U.S.”
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Moral views across 25 countries
Pew Research Center, 2025 survey, published March 2026
Only 23% of Americans say using cannabis is morally wrong, compared with 29% for gambling, making the U.S. among the most accepting countries surveyed.
“Just 23% of Americans say using marijuana is morally unacceptable, and 29% say the same about gambling.”
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Florida statewide poll
University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab, 786 likely voters, March 2026
66% of likely Florida voters support letting adults 21 and older legally possess small amounts of marijuana, and 30% oppose. That's above the 60% Florida requires to pass a constitutional amendment.
“Just as we found throughout much of 2024, marijuana legalization enjoys high cross-partisan support…”
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Americans' views on drugs and legalization
Gallup, November 2025
64% say cannabis should be legal, down from 68% in 2024. Republican support fell to 40%, a decade low, while Democrats are at 85%.
“Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults think the use of marijuana should be legal, a slightly lower level last seen in 2019.”
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Utah voters on medical and recreational cannabis
HarrisX for Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics, 805 registered voters, June 2025
77% of Utah voters support the state's current medical cannabis law, and 53% favor recreational legalization with 43% opposed.
“…the poll shows 77% support Utah’s current medicinal marijuana law…”
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Voter support for expunging marijuana convictions
Data for Progress (progressive polling firm), 1,282 likely voters, November 2022
74% support expunging non-violent marijuana convictions and 22% oppose, including 85% of Democrats, 74% of independents and 63% of Republicans.
Who consumers are
Who uses cannabis, and how? 7 sources
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Cannabis use among veterans and non-veterans
Do, Rustagi et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, August 2026
In federal survey data on 907,136 adults from 2016 to 2023, 9.9% of veterans and 13.0% of non-veterans currently used cannabis. Young veterans used far less than civilians their age (11.8% versus 23.6% at 18 to 24), while veterans 50 and older had higher odds of using than non-veterans the same age.
“Overall, older Veterans were more likely to report cannabis use, used cannabis more frequently, and were more likely to inhale cannabis than their non-Veteran peers.”
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Marijuana smoking at record high, cigarettes at low
Gallup, August 2026 (survey July 1–19)
17% of adults smoke cannabis and 15% use edibles, while cigarette smoking matched its record low of 11%. Americans split 47% to 46% on whether its effects are positive.
“Seventeen percent of Americans say they smoke marijuana, tying Gallup’s record high, while cigarette smoking matches its record low of 11%.”
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Cannabis use before and after legalization in Germany
Kotz et al., International Journal of Drug Policy, 2026
In a sample of 35,957 people, Germany's 2024 reform was not associated with any change in past-year use or heavy use two years in.
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Use of sleep aids among adults, 2024
CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2026
3.7% of adults used cannabis or CBD most days to help them sleep, compared with 5.2% using prescription drugs and 5.7% using over-the-counter aids.
“Overall, 5.2% of adults used prescription medications, 5.7% used OTC medications or supplements, and 3.7% used marijuana or CBD products as sleep aids.”
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Cannabis use among middle-aged and older adults
Livne, Hasin et al., American Journal of Preventive Medicine, March 2026
In the national Health and Retirement Study (1,324 respondents), 18.5% of adults 50 to 64 and 5.9% of those 65 and older used cannabis in the past year. About a quarter and a fifth of those users, respectively, used it medically, and more than 75% in both groups said medical use is acceptable.
“…past-year cannabis use in the U.S. was reported by 18.5% and 5.9% of middle-age and older adults, respectively…”
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Cannabis use and buying habits in California
Hill, Marcotte et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, June 2025
Of 15,208 California adults surveyed, 37% had used cannabis in the past three months. Among 4,020 current users, 77% got products from dispensaries, and 94% of those believed the stores were licensed.
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How adults use cannabis
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 2025
In 2022 survey data on 138,625 adults in 22 states and two territories, 15.3% used cannabis in the past month. Of those, 79.4% smoked, 41.6% ate edibles, 30.3% vaped and 14.6% dabbed, and 46.7% used more than one way. It isn't a national sample.
“In 2022, 15.3% of adults reported current cannabis use, approximately 80% of whom reported smoking.”