Alex Berenson is a journalist who tended to be a libertarian when it came to drugs. But a conversation with his wife changed his perspective. She worked as a senior psychiatrist at the institution housing people diagnosed with psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia. She mentioned in passing that “of course” a patient had been smoking pot all his life. He asked why she said “of course” only to find out that all of them smoke marijuana and that he should check it out. He did.

The medical literature is replete with links between marijuana, mental illness, and even violence. But you may never have heard that. Berenson says he has “never seen a story where the gap between insider and outsider knowledge was so great, or the stakes so high.” At a time when more states are legalizing marijuana use, medical professionals are finding greater dangers with increased marijuana use.

In his article and radio interview, he cited medical literature that challenges many of the myths perpetuated by advocates of medical marijuana and marijuana legalization. We are told that marijuana has many different medical uses. Actually, it has been shown to work in a few narrow conditions. We are told that it is very effective for pain relief. Actually, that does not appear to be the case. There is one four-year study of patients with chronic pain that showed cannabis use was associated with greater pain over time.

As I have mentioned in previous commentaries, the National Academy of Medicine found that “cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk.” Berenson then explains how this can lead to more violence. Most schizophrenics are not violent, but the latest medical literature has found that a percent of them are more violent. These are scientific facts that deserve our attention, especially as other states consider drug legalization.