Almost seven years ago, the New York Times invited me to speak to its editorial board about the dangers of legalising marijuana. I was excited to get the chance to tell this key institution of American life what I — and many other researchers — knew to be true: that legalising and commercialising the drug would be a public health disaster. Suffice to say, I didn’t receive much support.
That is why this week’s turn of events is so significant. On Monday, the paper published an editorial entitled: “It’s time for America to admit it has a weed problem.” It argued that marijuana’s harms are more serious than commonly acknowledged, and that commercialisation and social normalisation are amplifying them.
