The dangers of marijuana use are real, but significantly overstated by the US government, conservative organizations, and ill informed drug educators. Such groups claim that marijuana contains 360 uncontrolled chemicals. They also claim that marijuana has become more potent than in the past. They link marijuana with psychological disorders as well as overall health problems. Although these items have been confirmed in studies, the context in which they are presented is skewed and a misrepresentation of the facts. Legalize.org supports an objective view of these facts and encourages frank conversation on the nature of marijuana.

As for the 360 chemicals found in marijuana, almost none of them are unique to the cannabis plant. In actuality, only one unique chemical with psychotropic properties can be found in marijuana, and that is THC. The effects of THC on the body are well documented by federal studies and have not been found to cause conclusive damage. According to the opposition, the metabolites created by smoking marijuana are fat soluble and remain in the body for up to one month, causing harm to the brain. This is technically true, except for the portion in italics, the important part of the sentence. The federal investigation on the effects of marijuana state that the metabolites left in the body after the use of marijuana have no discernable effect on the psyche and are not harmful in any way. In addition, the higher potency described by the opposition is counterbalanced by a tendency of marijuana smokers to use smaller doses.

Another myth is that marijuana smoke has an ill effect on the human reproductive system. However, the actual investigation has been misquoted. The truth is that marijuana smoke has no effect on the sperm count or size of the testes. This misconstruction probably finds its routes in another danger: the passing of the THC drug through the placenta, which is true of all drugs. For this reason, Legalize.org does not recommend the consumption of marijuana for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, much like smoking tobacco and consuming alcohol.

Links between marijuana use and antimotivation syndrome are nebulous, as these symptoms exist without the presence of marijuana as well, usually in adolescents. Even if the occurrence of the psychological effects coincides with that of marijuana use, the link does not prove that these symptoms are caused by the drug, as many teems utilize the drug to escape from reality. It may be the tendency of those effected by the syndrome to utilize marijuana.

The overall physical health problems posed by marijuana use are not worse than those caused by the use of tobacco and alcohol. The agitation of the lungs caused by smoke inhalation increases risk of a premature cancer and the temporary effects of marijuana on the psyche may endanger users by impairing their judgment. Cf. tobacco and alcohol, which together account for the largest percent of preventable deaths worldwide. If marijuana were made legal, the health risks would be controlled and regulated along with the substance, and rendered as “harmless” as other more socially acceptable drugs.