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Negative outcomes of Cannabis legalisation

Legalising cannabis has not reduced youth usage - it even normalises harmful behaviour, increases risk, and its touted economic benefits fail to materialise.

Last updated 20 November 2025

Cannabis cures cancer, is a ‘harmless plant’ and is good for you? Here are some studies on the impact of cannabis legalisation from some parts of the world.

Myth 1: Legalisation will keep youths away from drugs

FALSE. According to the latest findings from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in United States, the proportion of the population that used cannabis in 2018 was the highest since 2002. Cannabis use has been proven harmful, especially to children. Legalising it only makes things worse.

Infographic of Myth 1: Legalisation will keep youths away from drugs

Myth 2: Cannabis is harmless fun

The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a national warning against cannabis use by adolescents and pregnant women. You can read the full statement here:

https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/addiction-and-substance-misuse/advisory-on-marijuana-use-and-developing-brain/index.html

Infographic of Myth 2: Cannabis is harmless fun, Fact 1 and 2.
Infographic of Myth 2: Cannabis is harmless fun, Fact 3.

Myth 3: Legalisation will boost the economy

While pro-cannabis supporters have argued that legalisation will bring about economic benefits, the reality has shown otherwise.

Infographic of Myth 3: Legalisation will boost the economy

Sources

[5] Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (Sep 2018) The legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Vol 5 Update.
Department of Public Health & Environment (2019). Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado.
Oregon Poison Control Centre. Cannabis Report 2014 – 2018.
Washington Poison Center 2017 Annual Toxic Trend Report Cannabis.

[6] ElSohly, M. A., Mehmedic, Z., Foster, S. (2016). Changes in Cannabis Potency Over the Last 2 Decades (1995-2014): Analysis of Current Data in the United States. Biological Psychiatry, 79(7), 613-619.
Jikomes, N., & Zoorob, M. (2018). The Cannabinoid Content of Legal Cannabis in Washington State Varies Systematically Across Testing Facilities and Popular Consumer Products. Scientific reports, 8(1), 4519.
Alzghari, S.K., Fung, V., Rickner, S. S., Chacko, L., & Fleming, S. W. (2017). To Dab or Not to Dab: Rising Concerns Regarding the Toxicity of Cannabis Concentrates. Cureus, 9(9), e1676.

[7] Freeman, T. P., & Winstock, A. R. (2015). Examining the profile of high-potency cannabis and its association with severity of cannabis dependence. Psychological medicine, 45(15), 3181-3189.
Volkow N.D., Baler R.D., Compton W.M., Weiss S.R.B. Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use N Engl J Med. 2014 June 5; 370(23): 2219-2227.

[8] Nora D. Volkow, Beth Han, Wilson M. Compton (June 2019). Self-reported Medical and Nonmedical Cannabis Use Among Pregnant Women in the United States. The Journal of the American Medical Association.

[9] Betsy Dickson, Chanel Mansfield, Maryam Guiahi, Amanda A. Allshouse, Laura M. Borgelt, Jeanelle Sheeder, Robert M. Silber, Torri D. Metz (June 2018). Recommendations From Cannabis Dispensaries About First-Trimester Cannabis Use. Obstetrics & Gynecology.

[10] Sheryl A. Ryan, Seth D. Ammerman, Mary E. O’Connor. American Academy of Pediatrics (Aug 2018) Marijuana Use During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Implications for Neonatal and Childhood Outcomes.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2018/08/23/peds.2018-1889
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: Current state of evidence and recommendations for research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

[11] Ministry of Home Affairs (2016). A literature review on medical cannabis. https://www.mha.gov.sg/docs/default-source/media-room-doc/a-literature-review-on-medical-cannabis.pdf [PDF, 147 KB]

[12] Attilio Raspisarda, Keanne Lim, Jimmy Lee (Jul – Dec 2017). Does cannabis consumption negatively affect cognition? A review of the scientific evidence. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 18 (2).

[13] Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area [Sep 2018] The legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Vol 5 Update.

[14] Samuel S. Monfort (Oct 2018). Effect of recreational marijuana sales on police-reported crashes in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

[15] Centennial Institute (15 Nov 2018), Economic and Social Costs of Legalized Marijuana.