The legalization of cannabis provides an opportunity to establish regulations to minimize potential harm. The danger of buying and using any illegal drug is that we can never know for sure what exactly it contains. Legal marijuana has the potential for enormous benefits for economies at local and national levels. It could also help secure investment portfolios for investors across the country and elsewhere as well.
While marijuana remains illegal federally, it's difficult for investors to capitalize on the industry's growth. The number of marijuana-related companies listed on public stock exchanges is minuscule, and while investors have the option of working with OTC exchanges, many of the most successful companies in the field of legal cannabis were originally based in Canada or other countries. The legalization of cannabis is the process of eliminating all legal prohibitions against it. Cannabis would then be available to the general adult population for purchase and consumption at will, similar to tobacco and alcohol.
Decriminalization is the act of eliminating criminal sanctions against an act, article, or behavior. The decriminalization of cannabis means that it would remain illegal, but the legal system would not prosecute a person for possession less than a specific amount. Instead, sanctions would range from the total absence of sanctions, civil fines, drug education or drug treatment. Legalizing cannabis would remove research blocks to initiate a proper study of cannabidiol.
This compound is not associated with a “high”, is not known to be addictive, and has anticonvulsant, anxiolytic and antipsychotic properties. 6 So far, the proper study of cannabidiol and other cannabinoids has been restricted by their criminalized status. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act classified cannabis as a Schedule I illicit drug, the most restrictive category, and made possession a federal crime. Although Spithoff and colleagues mention some benefits of legalizing cannabis, they provide more details about the potential harms.
Therefore, the feeling of “relaxation” that most cannabis users consider to be a desirable acute effect, in all likelihood reflects cognitive impairment (“motivation syndrome”) caused by a decrease in cortical dopamine. In another study from the same sample, cannabis use had a significant negative impact on work safety (such as self-reported accidents), traffic accidents and minor injuries. In the case of cannabis and psychosis, there was evidence of confusing effects, but associations persisted in almost all studies, even after adjusting the exhaustive lists of variables. Two large studies have demonstrated a decrease of about 25% in opioid overdose deaths associated with the legalization of medical cannabis and the availability of dispensaries.
This means, for example, that an adult aged 18 and over can legally possess 150 grams of fresh cannabis. In a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed publications in English that reported on the age of onset of psychotic illness in groups that used and did not use substances, Large et al38 found an association between cannabis use and the earlier onset of psychosis (the effect was not observed with alcohol). The Cannabis Council of Canada (C), which represents more than 700 licensed cannabis growers and processors in Canada, has some policy changes that it wants the government to make. Illicit cannabis producers sometimes use banned pesticides, divert waterways and leave hazardous waste in state and national parks.
The industry in many provinces and territories looks much different now than it did then, both in terms of the commercial availability of cannabis and the range of cannabis products available. Cannabis use is one of the environmental factors associated with the increased risk and worsening prognosis of schizophrenia, and some data suggest a causal effect. In public debate, cannabis has been considered a relatively benign recreational drug compared to opiates, stimulants and even alcohol. However, prospective population studies indicate that early cannabis use often serves as a prelude (or “gateway”) to the use of other illicit drugs.
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