23 Jan 2019

Are the negative health impacts of cannabis being drowned out?

From Afternoons, 3:10 pm on 23 January 2019

On Monday we spoke with Professor Benedikt Fischer from the University of Auckland's Medical and Health Sciences Department, who made the argument for legalising cannabis.

But our guest today doesn't think legalisation is the way to go. Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson says the science that points to long term issues related to pot use is getting drowned out by the push to legalize use around the world. 

He analyzes international studies, including a lot of research done here in New Zealand, and presents case studies that indicate that using marijuana is dangerous when it comes to brain development and mental health. He makes his case in a new book called Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence.

Cannabis plants growing.

Cannabis plants growing. Photo: 123RF