To the Editor:

If you’re not sure what to think about recreational cannabis dispensaries, consider information and lessons from other states. To locate many more credible resources that paint a sobering reality of cannabis, prepare to search beyond the paid Google content and filter through lots of “studies” funded by the wealthy and powerful cannabis industry. You’ll find that cannabis poses many risks to communities, this is why the majority of towns in states where cannabis was legalized opt out of retail dispensaries, including most of our neighbors, e.g. Montgomery, West Windsor, Plainsboro, Robbinsville, Cranbury, etc.

The main problem with cannabis is that THC levels — the key ingredient that makes a person feel high and drives addiction — aren’t regulated and there are no health guidelines for how much THC is too much, or whether the THC (or CBD) will negatively interact with other medications. According to wayofleaf.com, THC levels in marijuana have been increasing — from less than 4 percent in the early 1990s, to 20 percent and even over 30 percent today. In edibles — which aren’t yet available in New Jersey, but are under discussion and sold in other states — the THC potency can be as high as 90 percent. Who knowns what will happen to your kid when a friend — perhaps as a practical joke — hands him a bunch of THC-laced gummies.

According to an NCBI study, “The Problem with the Current High Potency THC Marijuana from the Perspective of an Addiction Psychiatrist,” 9 percent of those who experiment with marijuana will become addicted and 17 percent of those who start using marijuana as teenagers will become addicted. High-potency cannabis use is associated with increased severity of dependence, especially in young people. There is also increasing research demonstrating that regular use of marijuana with THC greater than 10 percent can result in development of psychotic symptoms, and cannabis-induced psychosis can become permanent. Also, data linking marijuana use to people with suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicides are steadily increasing. The general population in Colorado has seen a gradual increase in suicide over the years, and this trend seems to mirror the increased commercialization of marijuana in Colorado.

It is well documented that when drugs are perceived as harmful, drug use decreases as we have seen with adolescent use of tobacco. There is significantly less perception of harm in states that normalized it as a society and allowed the perception that it is “organic” and “healthy.” It’s not enough for parents simply to talk and educate our kids, we as a society have a duty to the next generation not to normalize harmful products and behaviors that will endanger our children.

Given the skyrocketing, unregulated THC levels, subsequent addiction, and mental health risks, especially in minors, what are the public health benefits of normalizing pot in Princeton, a home to so many public and private schools and a large university? What message are we sending to our children and young adults? Are there no better projects that Princetonians could come up with that improve our society and local community?

Sigrid Adriaenssens
Hemlock Circle