Although marijuana potency has reportedly increased in recent decades, this is largely due to prohibition. When access to a particular substance is sporadic, risky and limited, both consumers and producers are incentivized to use or sell higher potency material. We saw a similar trend during alcohol prohibition, when beer and cider were largely replaced by spirits and hard liquor, which was easier and more profitable to transport. When access is regulated and controlled, like in medical marijuana states, we see a wider variety of potencies, including marijuana with virtually no traces of psychoactive THC but high in cannabidiol (CBD), which is highly therapeutic but not psychoactive.

While THC is virtually non-toxic to healthy cells or organs, and is incapable of causing a fatal overdose, marijuana's health impact is wide ranging and depends on the way marijuana is ingested, as well as the specific constituents in the marijuana. Health effects of marijuana are related to the route, dose, frequency and duration of marijuana use. Currently, doctors may legally prescribe Marinol, an FDA-approved pill that contains 100 percent THC – but, critically, lacks other therapeutic, non-psychoactive compounds found in marijuana. The Food and Drug Administration found THC to be safe and effective for the treatment of nausea, vomiting and wasting diseases. When consumers encounter strong varieties of marijuana, they adjust their use accordingly and smoke less.[4] Learn More Take Action Make your

Back Fact: Rates of marijuana dependence have not increased over the past 10 years. A landmark, Congressionally-mandated Institute of Medicine study found that fewer than 10 percent of those who try marijuana ever meet the clinical criteria for dependence, while 32 percent of tobacco users and 15 percent of alcohol users do

Back Fact: Roughly 750,000 people are arrested for marijuana each year, the vast majority of them for simple possession, with racial minorities over-represented. Approximately 750,000 people were arrested for marijuana law violations in 2012 according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Uniform Crime Report – comprising about half (48 percent) of all drug arrests in the United States; that’s one marijuana arrest every 42 seconds. A decade ago, marijuana arrests comprised just 44 percent of all drug arrests. Approximately 42 percent of all drug arrests nationwide are for marijuana possession. Of total arrests for marijuana law violations, more than 87 percent were for simple possession, not sale or manufacture. There are more arrests for marijuana possession every year than for all violent crimes combined.