Despite widespread support for cannabis policy reform, prohibitionists continue to perpetuate misinformation to stigmatize cannabis consumers and prevent further reform progress. That's why the Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy have teamed up to tackle these myths head-on, offering evidence-based insights to set the record straight!

CLAIM: Marijuana is a gateway drug.

REALITY: The vast majority of people who have used marijuana never try any other drugs. 

The so-called “Gateway Theory” has been debunked repeatedly. According to the CDC, there is limited evidence suggesting that using marijuana increases the risk of using other drugs.¹ Further, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reported that most people who use marijuana do not go on to use other drugs.² 

CLAIM: Legalization makes it easier for teens to access marijuana.

REALITY: Prohibition has failed miserably at keeping marijuana out of the hands of teens—but legalization has lowered use. 

Research has shown that legalizing marijuana does not increase teen use. Nationwide, both the CDC and Monitoring the Future survey results show significant drops in youth marijuana use between 2011 and 2024, while half of the country legalized and regulated marijuana for adults. In the two states with the earliest legalization laws, Washington and Colorado, adolescents’ marijuana use has decreased by over 35% since marijuana was legalized and regulated for adults 21 and older.³ 

CLAIM: Today’s marijuana is more dangerous.

REALITY: Like alcohol, there are more potent and less potent types of marijuana (but even the most potent marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol).

There is no evidence that higher-THC marijuana is more addictive or in any way more dangerous. By regulating marijuana, we can ensure it is packaged and labeled properly so consumers know what they are getting. 

CLAIM: Marijuana use causes schizophrenia.

REALITY: There is no compelling evidence demonstrating that marijuana causes schizophrenia in otherwise healthy individuals. 

Marijuana affects different people differently — like many substances, it can be problematic for some people and beneficial for others. Many opponents of legalization misrepresent a 2017 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which found an association between marijuana use and schizophrenia, not that marijuana use causes schizophrenia. In fact, the report itself noted, “In certain societies, the incidence of schizophrenia has remained stable over the past 50 years despite the introduction of cannabis into those settings.”⁴ If marijuana causes schizophrenia, rates should rise if marijuana use goes up, but that has not happened. 

More recently, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine noted that, “it’s difficult for scientists to untangle the link between cannabis use and schizophrenia and conclude if cannabis use causes the development of schizophrenia, or, alternatively, if schizophrenia may lead people to use cannabis.”⁵

CLAIM: Marijuana use makes you stupid/negatively impacts school performance.

REALITY: The claim that marijuana lowers IQ has been repeatedly debunked.

There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana use results in lowered IQ. In fact, many highly successful individuals across various fields have openly acknowledged their use of marijuana, demonstrating that it does not preclude high achievement. 

In its comprehensive 1999 report on marijuana, the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine concluded there is no convincing data that demonstrates a causal relationship between marijuana use and “amotivational syndrome,” which is a term used to describe young people who drop out of social activities and show little interest in school, work, or other goal-directed activity.⁶ Further, researchers at University College London found “no relationship between marijuana use and IQ,” even among the heaviest users.⁷ Notably, the researchers also reported that alcohol use is strongly associated with a decline in IQ. 

CLAIM: Marijuana is addictive.

REALITY: Marijuana is significantly less addictive than alcohol and tobacco. 

A comprehensive federal study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine concluded that “millions of Americans have tried marijuana, but most are not regular users [and] few marijuana users become dependent on it … [A]lthough [some] marijuana users develop dependence, they appear to be less likely to do so than users of other drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on other drugs.”⁸ 

CLAIM: Marijuana causes brain damage.

REALITY: There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana kills brain cells or causes brain damage, even in long-term heavy consumers. 

According to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, even daily marijuana use is not associated with changes in brain volume in adults or adolescents, noting it “lack[s] even a modest effect.” They also found significant inconsistencies among scientific papers that claimed marijuana causes parts of the brain to shrink.⁹

CLAIM: Marijuana is poorly regulated.

REALITY: Regulating marijuana like alcohol ensures consumers know exactly what they’re getting. 

Legalizing and regulating marijuana replaces the uncontrolled illicit market with a tightly regulated system. Authorities actually know what is being sold, who is selling it, where, when, and to whom. Regulated marijuana markets require businesses to test their products and adhere to strict labeling and packaging requirements that ensure marijuana is identifiable and consumers know what they are getting. Licensed marijuana stores are also overwhelmingly compliant with age-gating.¹⁰

CLAIM: Marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco.

REALITY: There are far more health-related problems associated with alcohol and tobacco use than with marijuana use.

Marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol and tobacco to the consumer and society. Marijuana is less toxic, less harmful to the body, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violent or reckless behavior. A study commissioned by the World Health Organization concluded the overall risks associated with marijuana are “small to moderate in size” and “unlikely to produce public health problems comparable in scale to those currently produced by alcohol and tobacco.”¹¹

CLAIM: Marijuana can kill you.

REALITY: There has never been a confirmed marijuana overdose death. 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded in 2017 that no link has been established between marijuana and fatal overdoses.¹² Meanwhile, the CDC attributes about 35,000 deaths per year in the U.S. to alcohol use alone, including hundreds from overdoses. It attributes zero to marijuana.¹³

1 https://www.cdc.gov/cannabis/health-effects/using-other-drugs.html

2 https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24625/the-health-effects-of-cannabis-and-cannabinoids-the-current-state

3 https://www.mpp.org/issues/legalization/adult-use-legalization-corresponds-with-drop-in-teen-marijuana-use/

4 https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2017/01/health-effects-of-marijuana-and-cannabis-derived-products-presented-in-new-report

5 https://www.nationalacademies.org/based-on-science/cannabis-the-relationship-between-cannabis-use-and-schizophrenia-is-complex

6 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230709/

7 Mokrysc C., et al. “No relationship between moderate adolescent cannabis use, exam results or IQ, large study shows.” Annual Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP). 2014.

8 U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (Washington, D.C: National Academy Press, 1999).

9 Dobuzinskis, Alex, “Daily pot use not associated with brain shrinkage: Colorado study,” Reuters, February 5, 2015.

10 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460323000916?via%3Dihub

11 Hall, Wayne. “A Comparative Appraisal of the Health and Psychological Consequences of Alcohol, Cannabis, Nicotine, and Opiate Use.” (1995). National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

12 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research.” (2017).

13 Centers for Disease Control. “Vital Signs: Alcohol Poisoning Deaths — United States, 2010–2012.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol. 63 No. 53 (2015): 1238-1242.

On the last day that legislation could be passed, the Texas Senate and House of Representatives agreed to expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) as decided by a conference committee. 

The House of Representatives passed the original version of HB46 in a 122-21 vote on May 13, 2025. This version greatly expanded the program from its previous parameters. When transmitted to the Senate, it was highly amended by the State Affairs Committee. HB46 was further amended on the Senate floor and passed in a 31-0 vote on Tuesday, May 27. On May 30, the House rejected the Senate-amended version and the legislation went to conference committee. Both chambers concurred with the conference committee on June 1. The final bill was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on June 2.

If you live in Texas, ask Gov. Abbott to sign HB46 into law!

The final version of HB46 includes many improvements to the embattled TCUP program. Those improvements include:

• Adding chronic pain (pain that lasts longer than 90 days and cannabis is deemed a viable option), Crohn’s Disease, and Traumatic Brain Injury. Additionally, terminal illnesses and people under hospice care qualify as qualifying conditions.
• Adding methods of delivery to include: lotions, patches, suppositories, pulmonary inhalation with approved nebulizers, inhalers, and vaporizers (when directed by a doctor).
• Inhalation devices will be approved by the Department of State Health Services.
• Replacing the current limit of 1% THC by weight with up to 10mg per dose and a package not to exceed 1 gram of THC.
• Recommendations will be good for nine months with four 90-day refills (patients can purchase medicine allotment over the course of the 90 days).
• The Department of Public Safety shall issue twelve more licenses for dispensing organizations (15 total). Dispensing organizations must become operational within 24 months after the license is issued.
• Those providers will be able to open satellite brick-and-mortar dispensaries.
• Dispensed cannabis will be monitored by the Texas Board of Pharmacy via the Prescription Monitoring Program.
• Any person owning 10% or more in a dispensing organization will need to submit fingerprints for background checks.
• Patient Privacy Protection: Information within the registry regarding patient identification, including the fact that a person is listed as a patient in the registry, is confidential and may only be accessed by the department, registered physicians, and dispensing organizations. On request by a patient, the department may release patient information contained in the registry to the patient or a person designated by the patient.

The passage of this legislation reflects the hard work and tenacity of Texans. Legislators received countless emails and calls to expand the Compassionate Use Program, and they listened to your concerns. 

It has been over a decade since the first state adult-use cannabis markets launched in Washington and Colorado in 2014. Since then, legalizing cannabis for adults 21 and over has generated a combined total of more than $24.7 billion in tax revenue to invest in the needs of the states.

In 2024 alone, legalization states collectively generated more than $4.4 billion in cannabis tax revenue from adult-use sales, which is the most revenue generated by cannabis sales in a single year.

MPP’s new report demonstrates the far-reaching positive impact of a responsibly regulated cannabis marketplace on state budgets and on our society. Notably, cannabis tax revenue is helping to fund crucial social services and programs across the country, such as education, behavioral health, veterans’ services, job training, conservation, school construction, expungement, among many others. 

But our work is far from finished. We must continue to ensure that more states can reap the benefits of a sensibly regulated cannabis market. If taxed at a reasonable level, legal cannabis can help states face fiscal challenges and invest in communities and build a better future for everyone.

On Wednesday, June 4, the Ohio House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the latest version of SB 56, which would still significantly erode Ohio’s voter-enacted legalization law. The hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. in Room 313 of the State House. SB 56 is listed second on the agenda. 

The House Judiciary Committee replaced SB 56 with a substitute version, which brings it closer to HB 160 and removes some of the re-criminalization. HB 160 sponsor Brian Stewart said, “We understand there may be other amendments sought, but I think this is getting us to a single vehicle.” 

Rep. Jamie Callender — who has been a champion for cannabis legalization — outlined his areas of focus, which include re-criminalization, and said, “I’m going to ask that we accept that today with the very clear understanding that there will be some amendments drafted and considered [at] the next meeting.” 

As unfair as it is to have to grovel to keep voter-enacted freedoms, your voice is making a difference. When the Senate first proposed gutting the law before the ink was dry in late 2023, it proposed completely eliminating home grow, slashing possession limits, and hiking taxes. Its bill earlier this year would’ve banned smoking in backyards, along with any sharing. Those provisions have been pared down or removed. 

But there are still outrageous provisions left. The committee substitute of SB 56 would:

• Re-criminalize cannabis obtained from anywhere other than Ohio retailers and cannabis a person grew themself. 
• Ban the sharing of homegrown cannabis. It would be a felony to share over 20 grams of homegrown cannabis!
• Only allow sharing at the transferor’s own primary residence.
• Create a broad open container law that prohibits cannabis products (but not raw cannabis) that were ever opened in the passenger area of a vehicle. 
• Prohibit cannabis smoking and vaping in any place other than a home or agricultural land where the owner allows it, with the sole exception of outdoor music venues that allow it.
• Eliminate level 3 (small grower) licenses, remove provisions to license new growers and dispensaries, and cap retailers at 400. 
• Eliminate the cannabis social equity and jobs program, which includes assistance for those most impacted by the war on cannabis and funding for expungement.

The Michigan Legislature is considering HB4390 and HB4391, which would allow law enforcement to administer roadside oral fluid tests and arrest people solely for a positive test. This would ensnare completely unimpaired drivers, well after they last consumed cannabis. 
 
If you live in Michigan, tell your legislators that oral fluid tests are NOT an indicator of impaired driving!
 
A recent meta-analysis assessing the reliability of oral fluid testing concluded: “[Oral fluid] tests should not be considered a valid indicator of [cannabis-induced] impairment.” The study found positive readings for cannabis up to 24 hours after consumption, well past the time period when a consumer is impaired. We would like to thank our friends at NORML for sharing and summarizing the study.
 
 

Following strong-arming by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Texas House of Representatives voted to ban consumable hemp. 
  
This is a crushing blow to the tens of thousands of people who have utilized these products responsibly and to the 50,000 people employed in this industry. If the amended version is approved by the state Senate, the legislation will then go to Gov. Greg Abbott (R). If the bill becomes law, it will go into effect on September 1, 2025.
 
With this development, the fate of Texas’ medical cannabis expansion bill, HB 46, is more important than ever. The Texas Compassionate Use Program (“TCUP”) is so restrictive that MPP does not count Texas as a “medical cannabis state.” The committee substitute, CSHB 46, would improve the program by:

• issuing eight more licenses to produce low-THC products (for a total of 11),
• allowing dispensing organizations to have satellite storage facilities in every medical region of the state,
• allowing for tinctures, suppositories, and — when it is medically needed as specified by a doctor — non-smoked inhalation,
• adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition, when the clinician would otherwise prescribe an opioid,
• adding glaucoma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal neuropathy, degenerative disc diseases, Crohn’s and other Intestinal Bowel Syndromes, terminal diseases or hospice/palliative care, and any condition for an honorably discharged veteran of the armed services, and
• codifying the process to further add qualifying conditions by the Department of State Health Services as well as the process for a clinician to request adding a condition.

It would not lift the current 1% THC cap or allow flower.
 
If you live in Texas, ask your senator to support the expansion of TCUP!
 
TCUP is so limited that few have benefitted from it. While it will not fill the gap created by the passage of SB 3, HB 46 will expand access to thousands of Texans with debilitating conditions. 

On Tuesday, May 20, the Nebraska Senate is scheduled to debate LB 677 with Amendment 1251. The bill includes a regulatory framework for legal medical cannabis sales, along with new restrictions. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is calling for passage of the bill with the amendment and asking supporters to call and email their state senators.
 
Without LB 677, patients have no access to medical cannabis. The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission has “a complete lack of resources” and no ability to carry out its duties to license medical cannabis businesses. Attorney General Mike Hilgers and others are still trying to overturn the medical cannabis initiatives in court. They believe their outrageous lawsuit to re-criminalize patients is best positioned if the Legislature doesn’t act. AG Hilgers is trying to kill LB 677 dishonestly, claiming that “in my view, would supercharge the black market as a recreational marijuana bill that has a whole host of negative impacts on the state of Nebraska.”
 
MPP believes the Legislature should implement the will of voters without imposing the restrictions contained in AM 1251 — such as prohibiting smoking and limiting qualifying conditions to a specific list. Sadly, there is no realistic prospect of that happening. Thirty-three votes out of 49 are needed on any bill, and the votes are not there to pass a better implementation bill. 
 
The families behind Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana have sacrificed tremendously to bring relief to their loved ones. They are asking supporters to make a call and send an email in support of LB 677, Amendment 1251. 
 

A handful of federal cannabis bills have been introduced this session. But in order for these bills to move forward, they need to receive a hearing this year.

The STATES 2.0 (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States 2.0) Act has been re-introduced by Representatives David Joyce (R-OH), Max Miller (R-OH), and Dina Titus (D-NV). This bipartisan legislation is crafted to set the necessary guardrails needed to curb federal interference in legal cannabis states. If passed, this bill would protect state adult-use cannabis programs and regulate interstate commerce, while requiring the FDA to create regulations surrounding cannabis product manufacturing. 


Additionally, Rep. Joyce and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced the PREPARE (Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-prohibition Adult-use Regulated Environment) Act. If enacted, this bill would establish a commission to advise lawmakers on setting an effective regulatory framework for legal cannabis.


Earlier this session, we also saw two positive bills for veterans introduced. HR 966 (Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act) and HR 1384 (Veterans for Equal Access Act). Both bills make changes to allow veterans to enjoy the benefits of cannabis with less federal intervention. Currently, both are sitting in committee.
 
MPP is strongly urging lawmakers to make 2025 the year that cannabis consumers, business owners, and banks receive long-awaited federal guidelines and clarity. With 24 states operating adult-use cannabis markets, federal cannabis reform is long overdue. A cohesive regulatory framework provides a safer, more transparent policy climate for all actors involved in the legal cannabis marketplace.
 
Urge your Senators and Congressperson to advance STATES 2.0 and other sensible federal cannabis reform bills this year!

The Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee voted down the House-passed legalization bill, HB 1200, in a 3-7 vote. Two committee members who voted to kill the bill — including Chairman Dan Laughlin — made it clear they support legalization but opposed the House’s approach. 
 
MPP has also voiced concerns that the House’s state-run stores model would result in a costly boondoggle that fails to result in legal access. While HB 1200 had its flaws, it’s imperative that the Senate pass legislation — with a model that works. 
 
If you live in Pennsylvania, let your senator know it’s past time PA treat adults like grown-ups.
 
Pennsylvania is one of only 19 states that doesn’t even have a “decriminalization” law. State and local police made more than 11,000 arrests for cannabis possession in 2023 alone. 
 
Pennsylvania should be generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue from cannabis taxes, instead of ruining lives and forcing consumers across its borders to freer states. 

Unlike half of the country, Pennsylvania lacks a citizen initiative process. The only path to legalization runs through the Legislature. 

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize cannabis for adults from state-run stores. While legalization is long overdue in the Keystone State, we have serious concerns that — due to federal prohibition — the state-run stores model may prove a costly boondoggle that never results in legal access.
 
If you live in Pennsylvania, let your state senator know you want them to support a workable legalization law!
 
The Cannabis Health and Safety Act (HB 1200), sponsored by Rep. Rick Krajewski and House Health Committee Chair Dan Frankel, would charge the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board with running state cannabis stores and licensing private cannabis growers, processors, transporters, on-site consumption lounges, and labs. Possession of small amounts of cannabis would be downgraded to a fine-only summary offense until sales begin (if they begin), at which time it would be legalized. At that time, adults could also apply for a permit to grow up to two mature cannabis plants at home. 
 
HB 1200 includes important provisions to prevent families from being torn apart and lives being ruined because adults choose to relax with cannabis. It includes broad, automatic expungement to clear the record for past offenses, and invests 50% of the proceeds of cannabis revenue into hard-hit communities.
 
You can find our full summary here.
 
While 54% of Americans live in legal cannabis states, Pennsylvania lags far behind. It is one of only 19 states where adults can be incarcerated simply for possessing cannabis. According to government data, there were more than 11,000 arrests for cannabis possession in 2023 alone. Five of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states have legalized adult-use cannabis.
 
It’s past time for Pennsylvania to treat adults like grown ups, and stop punishing them for using cannabis. But it’s important that the bill creates a workable model. Let’s get it done, and done right!