Our Mission
Every Brain Matters (EBM) is a nonprofit founded as a project of Parents Opposed to Pot and developed by Aubree Adams, who personally witnessed the devastating effects of marijuana normalization and commercialization with her own family and community. EBM rejects the false narrative that marijuana legalization is a harmless expression of personal freedom and a solution to the drug crisis.
Grounded in scientific research and real-life experiences, EBM educates that THC is an addictive and harmful substance that causes mental and physical illness capable of destroying lives and communities.
EBM strives to raise awareness about the dangers of THC through education, advocacy, and compassionate support to protect the health and safety of future generations and to ensure that no one faces this struggle alone.
*The words marijuana and cannabis are being used interchangeably on this website.
Policy Brief: Marijuana Legalization and Public Health Impacts
Executive Summary
Marijuana policy should be guided by scientific evidence and public health outcomes, not commercial or profit-driven interests. Available evidence indicates that marijuana legalization has increased use, addiction, mental health harms, environmental damage, and broader societal costs, while failing to eliminate illegal markets or ensure product safety. Current regulatory frameworks are insufficient to adequately protect public health and safety.
In addition, states currently lack a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the harms associated with THC. Public education on impairment, addiction, and psychiatric risks remains inadequate, and reliable methods to detect THC impairment—particularly among drivers—are insufficient or unavailable. Furthermore, statewide data surveillance systems to monitor THC-related harms are limited, and treatment and recovery services are not equipped to meet growing demand. These critical gaps must be addressed before any further expansion of marijuana access or commercialization is considered.
Evidence-Based Policy Framework
Drug policy should rely on credible, peer-reviewed research rather than market incentives that promote increased drug consumption. Public health policy must prioritize prevention, safety, and long-term societal well-being.
Prevention as Harm Reduction
Prevention is the most effective harm-reduction strategy. Policies that restrict availability and provide clear education reduce demand and use. Increased access and normalization of marijuana are associated with higher rates of use, dependence, and related harms.
Public Safety and Community Harm
Marijuana use extends beyond the individual and affects public safety and vulnerable populations, including:
- Victims of drug-impaired driving
- Children exposed to neglect, abuse, or accidental ingestion
- Individuals harmed by secondhand marijuana smoke
Mental Health and Addiction Impacts
Legalization has contributed to rising rates of cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Public health systems currently lack sufficient capacity to prevent, treat, or manage these conditions. Marijuana use has been identified as a causal or contributing risk factor in serious mental illness, schizophrenia, homelessness, and violent behavior.
Regulatory Failures
State-level marijuana regulation has proven inadequate. The FDA—not state legislatures—is responsible for evaluating drug safety and efficacy. Marijuana products sold under state legalization schemes have not undergone FDA approval and remain unverified for safety, potency, and long-term health effects.
Persistence of the Illegal Market
Contrary to claims that legalization would eliminate illicit markets, illegal marijuana production and distribution have expanded, undermining public safety and regulatory goals.
Environmental Impacts
Marijuana cultivation poses significant environmental risks, including:
- Diversion of streams and depletion of water resources
- Increased strain on electrical grids and energy systems
- Deforestation and habitat destruction, particularly on federal lands
- Use of banned pesticides and rodenticides that harm wildlife
These practices often occur with limited oversight or accountability.
Societal and Economic Costs
Expanded marijuana commercialization generates widespread costs, including:
- Higher auto and health insurance rates
- Increased homelessness and public health expenditures
- Reduced workforce productivity and workplace safety risks
- Increased crime, violence, and law enforcement burdens
- Rising housing and business costs
Vulnerable Populations
No level of marijuana use is safe during pregnancy or for individuals under age 25. Marijuana exposure is harmful to the developing brain and is associated with long-term cognitive and mental health consequences.
High-Potency Products
There is no evidence that high-potency marijuana products (≥10 mg THC) are safe for adult use. Increased potency is associated with higher rates of addiction, psychosis, and emergency medical conditions.
Intoxicating Hemp Products
Intoxicating hemp-derived products legalized through a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill pose similar risks to marijuana while evading meaningful regulation and should be prohibited.
Policy Implications
Policymakers should prioritize prevention, restrict commercialization, close regulatory loopholes, strengthen enforcement against illegal markets, and align drug policy with established public health and safety standards.
Solutions
1. Establish THC-Impaired Driving Policy Immediately (Highest Priority) – THC impairment differs fundamentally from alcohol impairment and requires a distinct, evidence-based framework:
• Establish THC-specific impairment standards recognizing prolonged and non-perceptible impairment
• Fund validated impairment assessment tools and technologies
• Require statewide ARIDE and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) training
• Mandate comprehensive toxicology testing in all traffic fatalities and serious injury crashes
• Publicly report THC-related crashes, arrests, and outcomes
• Implement clear penalties and zero-tolerance standards for impaired driving and in safety-sensitive workplaces
• Establish liability frameworks so families harmed by THC-impaired drivers are not left bearing the costs
2. Remove Intoxicating THC Products From Retail Access Until Proven Safe – No intoxicating THC product should remain on shelves without demonstrated safety, enforceable labeling standards, and impairment protections.
3. Launch a Statewide Public Education Campaign – Americans must receive clear, evidence-based information on THC addiction,
psychosis, suicide risk, violent behavior, CHS, pulmonary and cardiac risks, and long-lasting impairment.
4. Establish Comprehensive THC Data Collection and Surveillance – Track emergency visits, psychiatric admissions, suicides, violent incidents, traffic fatalities, youth exposure, school-related incidents, homelessness, mass shootings, and other crimes related to THC.
5. State-Funded Prevention, Recovery (Treatment and Crisis Infrastructure), and Accountability – Families cannot continue to shoulder the medical, financial, and emotional costs alone. This must include public and school prevention education, specialized treatment for cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, and CHS; crisis helplines and response teams; voluntary purchase-restriction programs; and clinical oversight for high-risk patients, including careful monitoring of psychiatric medications
6. Mandatory, Standardized Warning Labels – All THC products must clearly warn that:
• They contain THC and other unregulated chemicals not proven safe
• THC use may cause addiction, psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, violent behavior, cognitive impairment, CHS, and cardiovascular and pulmonary issues
• THC impairment can last hours or days, even without feeling “high”
• THC accumulates in the body and may cause permanent injury, especially to the brain
• Use around children, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding is unsafe
7. Prohibition of Safety and Medical Claims Products may not be marketed as “safe,” “therapeutic,” or “medicinal” without FDA approval. Violations must carry meaningful civil and criminal penalties. Only FDA-approved cannabis-derived medications may make medical claims and must be dispensed by prescription.
8. Additional Protective Measures
• Minimum purchase age of 25
• Strict zoning limits and municipal opt-out authority
• Flavor bans and child-resistant, non-attractive packaging
• Ban THC-infused edibles that mimic common foods, drinks, or candies that appeal to youth and lead to accidental ingestion and misuse.
• Ban vape products that deliver high-potency marijuana in a form that is easy to conceal from parents, educators, and employers.
• Potency caps and daily purchase limits
• Comprehensive advertising bans
• Prohibition of online sales and home grows (to abolish the black market)
• The THCA content should be included in any total THC limitation amounts
Every state that has legalized or commercialized THC has failed to implement adequate public health protections before harm occurred.
If the government cannot establish and enforce these safeguards—with THC-impaired driving policies implemented first and without delay—we urge leadership to reconsider permitting retail THC sales altogether. Public safety must be built before commercialization, not retrofitted after preventable injury, death, and lifelong harm.
