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Comment by wcummings | Hacker News Reader

>If cannabis actually caused mental issues why isn't there a huge increase in these problems in CO, CA, WA and OR where it's freely available?

I'm not sure legalization has increased usage in those places, but if it has, it will take more than a few years to see the effects.

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It has been more than a couple of years in Holland, Portugal and other places. People seem to smoke less when it's legal. And we have enough experience by now to see through the silly propaganda when it comes to health risks. The war on cannabis is about profit and control; there are no health risks to speak of; on the contrary, it helps a lot of people live normal lives without poisoning themselves with stupid chemical cocktails.

Why should consumption decrease when the substance is legalized? The only real explanation I can think of off the top of my head is if certain types of legalization are really inconvenient (highly regulated sales and coffeehouses, vs. the black market).

Prohibition reduced alcohol consumption in the 20s: http://patterico.com/2014/07/28/yes-prohibition-worked-in-te....

(I am not asking this to support prohibition. I support legalization of marijuana).

Legalization can increase prices (as illegally grown marijuana obviously has no tax, but may have inflated cost due to risk)

It might also make it less cool. Teenages might be less likely to smoke if their parents/teachers/etc do (wild guess)

I had a roommate from Amsterdam and he said pot is seen as something kids do. When you grow up and get a job, you stop doing it.

But why should that be a result of legalization?

Anecdotally: I hear people complaining that legalizing it "takes the fun out of it".

I personally don't understand that, but I guess it's fun to do something rebellious if it's arguably harmless*

*(I realize that I'm using the word "harmless" quite loosely here)

Cannabis use among adults in the US has doubled in the last 10 years:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/prevalence-mar...

I couldn't locate much information with some quick googling, but I don't think rates of schizophrenia have doubled in the same time period.

Cannabis use might not have actually doubled. According to your link, "The percentage of Americans who reported using marijuana in the past year..."

The amount of people reporting increased. It is difficult to tell if actual use increased or if people are just more likely to admit they use it because of decreasing taboos.

Yeah it's not like it was hard to get before or currently in the rest of the nation.

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