According to many opponents of our beloved plant, it is surprising to see how little impact all the scientific information generated by research into the harm caused by cannabis use has had on the media and public discourse, which has long tended to favor the regulation of marijuana rather than policies aimed at reducing its consumption.

Continuing with their argument, many professionals and, above all, the media have conveyed the idea to the public that smoking a “recreational joint” is harmless or even therapeutic. The term “recreational” has contributed to trivializing its consumption.

Thus, in their view, all cannabis use carries a risk, depending on several factors (age, individual characteristics, frequency of use, amount of THC, etc.), but it is always a risk.

Increased Consumption Means Greater Health Risks

From the opposing perspective, the available scientific evidence leaves no doubt that cannabis and its derivatives—hashish, marijuana, and oils—pose serious health risks.

According to our critics, the impact of cannabis on mental health is clearly established: one in ten users will develop dependence (17% among those who start during adolescence). By way of example, 15,676 admissions to treatment for cannabis use were recorded in 2015. If cannabis sales and distribution were regulated, they argue, this figure would undoubtedly increase.

Continuing with this alarmist line of reasoning, cannabis-induced disorders, including psychosis, are directly associated with the amount consumed, frequency and intensity of use, and cannabis potency. Therefore, if consumption increases, particularly among young people, the number of people with schizophrenia will rise exponentially.

Our critics also point out that the most widely marketed and sold seed strains are those with the highest THC concentrations. Although we, as advocates of cannabis “regulation,” may argue that only lower-potency varieties would be sold, they claim that an emerging illegal market would supply seeds and cannabis with higher potency, as they say happens in Uruguay and the Netherlands.

According to our critics, regulation, like the policies governing tobacco and alcohol sales, is not the solution. They argue that the failure of this approach is evident in the high rates of both prevalence and incidence of tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents and young people in Spain.

The cognitive harm caused by cannabis, affecting memory, learning, and decision-making, is undeniable and dose-dependent, increasing considerably when use begins during adolescence. Therefore, they argue, regulation would contribute to an increase in the number of adolescents and adults experiencing cognitive difficulties, leading, among other consequences, to school failure and depressive and anxiety disorders.

Road traffic and workplace accidents would also increase. These harms would be compounded by a rise in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Continuing with these arguments against regulation, our critics maintain that, as with the policies governing tobacco and alcohol sales, regulation is not the answer. In their view, the failure of these policies is demonstrated by the high rates of tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents and young people in Spain, which remain among the highest in Europe despite the laws currently in force.

Medicinal Use Is Beyond Dispute

Where these opponents of our beloved plant have been unable to deny its value is in its potential medicinal applications (although they insist that it should never be smoked).

According to the US National Academy of Sciences, following a review of more than 24,000 articles, there is substantial evidence of the positive effects of cannabis in at least three medical conditions: chronic pain; its use as an antiemetic to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy; and multiple sclerosis, where it can help relieve symptoms of muscle spasticity caused by the disease.

Therefore, its use as a drug or medicine should be beyond question. However, according to these critics, it should always be available by prescription, exclusively for those who need it, and sold through pharmacies—never through home cultivation, retail shops or franchises, or parapharmacies.

At Marisana, while acknowledging that excessive consumption, particularly by minors, can be harmful, we firmly support harm-reduction policies and the promotion of responsible use. We advocate regulating cannabis use and consumption rather than continuing to prohibit it, as many of our critics themselves argue in some of the points raised in this article.

Without promoting cannabis consumption in any way and while scrupulously respecting the legislation currently in force, our association takes part in the public debate on regulating cannabis consumption, cultivation, and distribution. Our aim is to prevent the social and health risks inherent in the black market through the production of different high-quality cannabis varieties free from contaminants, distributed exclusively to the adult members of our association.