If you smoke weed or tend to buy e-cigarette or vaping products, this news may interest you. A new study has found another benefit to legalizing marijuana on a federal level. Fewer lung injuries linked to legal marijuana, according to a federally funded study. This is big news to marijuana supporters and advocates who have actively claimed the benefits of legalizing weed. This new study may be what encourages government officials to seriously consider the legalization of marijuana in the United States.
You may be wondering how exactly are fewer lung injuries and legalized marijuana connected? It’s a lot more obvious than you’d assume.
Fewer Lung Injuries Linked To Legal Marijuana
It’s important to note that there was an outbreak before the COVID-19 pandemic regarding a lung disease. This outbreak was of a different respiratory disease among people who smoke cannabis concentrates and e-cigarettes. This specific lung disease is known as EVALI, which stands for e-cigarette and vaping-associated lung injury. Eventually, researchers were able to trace this disease back to a source. It was linked to an additive found most commonly in unregulated marijuana vape cartridges.
Unregulated marijuana vape cartridges are common to encounter within the illicit cannabis market. These types of sales aren’t regulated, therefore there’s no way for a customer to fully know what’s in their product.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it affected nearly 3,000 people and killed 68.
Researchers were not done investigating. In a new study that was published in the medical journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, they revealed that there was a correlation between the lung disease and cannabis policies. Specifically, it found that states where cannabis was legal for adults or where medical marijuana patients could legally grow their own cannabis plants. Moreover, they found that recreational use laws predicted lower 2019 EVALI incidences.
The states with adult-use marijuana laws in place during the 2019 outbreak had a 42 percent lower incidence of EVALI cases.
Additionally, U.S. states where marijuana policies were established saw better results. Marijuana policies that were liked to lower EVALI cases were also associated with the reduced likelihood of vaping as one’s primary mode of use.
This new discovery also brings into question another aspect of e-cigarettes and vaping. Many parents worry that these companies purposefully target minors with ads and products like fruity or candy-like flavors. According to the CDC, vaping and e-cigarettes are very bad for minors and young children. Scientists are still learning about the long-term health effects of these products.
Federal Legalization of Marijuana
Many cannabis advocates are happy to hear about this news. It only reinforces what they’ve been claiming for years. The efforts to legalize marijuana have been slow and steady. Mostly because it doesn’t just mean suddenly legalizing weed.
Many things have to be taken into consideration. First, in order to establish a legal cannabis market, there have to be regulations and policies. Each state may have to set its own, individual rules. Second, they’ll have to establish an efficient medical program. This program will help medical patients who need cannabis in their treatment. Lastly, they’ll have to decriminalize marijuana as well as address the people in jail for marijuana.
Additionally, the way these unregulated cannabis products have reached consumers is through the illegal cannabis market. By legalizing marijuana and establishing a legal market, it can ensure legal adults use cannabis without the potential dangers of EVALI.
Both sides of the political aisle are working in their own way to reach marijuana legalization. Unfortunately, it’s been difficult to see both sides work together for this cause. For more details about how the United States lawmakers have been pushing for marijuana legalization, read here.
States with legalized recreational weed
Many states have already legalized some form of cannabis in their state. Here’s a list of U.S. states and their current cannabis laws and regulations. It’s important to note that this list is not official. If you’re unsure about your state’s regulations, make sure to check with your state’s current laws as they can change at any time.
Allows Adult Use and Medical Use of Cannabis
- Alaska
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Nevada
- Arizona
- Montana
- Colorado
- New Mexico
- New York
- Michigan
- Illinois
- Virginia
- Maine
- Vermont
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- Washington D.C.
Allows Medical Use of Cannabis Only
- Utah
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
- Lousiana
- Missouri
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- New Hampshire
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- Maryland
Restricted Medical Use of Cannabis
- Wyoming
- Texas
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Tennesse
- Mississippi
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
Cannabis Use Is Illegal
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Nebraska
