Answering Questions About Legal Weed: What Are The Public’s Biggest Concerns?

Not everyone supports cannabis legalization efforts, even with nearly all 50 states providing at least some form of medical cannabis access. However, according to the Pew Research Center, the majority of Americans support at least some form of cannabis legalization. Only 12% of respondents in their 2025 survey said that cannabis shouldn’t be legal in any form. 

For those who support legal cannabis, it’s important to understand the reasons behind others’ opposition. This can better inform the way we advocate for the plant’s legalization. So, let’s dive a little deeper. What are the public’s biggest concerns about legal weed?

Will Cannabis Lead to Other Drug Use?

According to the aforementioned Pew Research Center survey, 27% of respondents believe that recreational cannabis decreases the use of other drugs like heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. However, 29% claim it increases use.

This belief tracks with what we hear from opponents across the country. It’s why we heard Marty Makary, the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, call cannabis a “gateway drug.” We could spend all day rounding up examples of conservative lobbyists and other groups calling cannabis a “gateway drug to the exploding opioid crisis” and other sentiments, but we’ll spare our readers. 

Truth is, there’s limited evidence to fully refute or prove the idea that cannabis is a gateway drug. Researchers often disagree, partly because they collect and interpret data in different ways. We’ve previously reported that RAND explains three reasons why some researchers support the notion of cannabis as a gateway drug:

• Cannabis users are more likely than non-users to eventually use other hard drugs
• Nearly everyone who has used cannabis and other hard drugs originally started with cannabis 
• The heavier the cannabis use, the more likely someone is to use hard drugs later

But other research suggests the opposite, concluding that most cannabis users do not go on to use other substances later in life. A National Bureau of Economic Research study from 2021 also finds little evidence to back up the idea that recreational cannabis laws encourage the use of harder substances. In fact, the study concluded that recreational cannabis laws may help to reduce opioid-related deaths. 

This conclusion aligns with other research we’ve seen, including one study that found cannabis significantly reduces the use of prescription opioids among authorized patients. This also tracks with a 2023 study from the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, which finds that non-prescription opioid use tends to decrease when the population has access to medical cannabis. 

While there may be conflicting evidence about the role of cannabis as a gateway drug, we do know that there is no concrete evidence pointing to the assertion commonly used in anti-cannabis rhetoric. 

Will Cannabis Negatively Impact People’s Health?

Another common reason people oppose cannabis laws is the potential health concerns they may bring. These concerns tend to focus on addiction, adolescent brain development, hospitalizations, ER visits, and associated physical and mental health problems. 

Let’s start with addiction. The truth is, people can become addicted to cannabis. Like most things cannabis-related, we need more definitive studies to get a clearer picture. But we do know that the age of first use, frequency of use, socioeconomic context, and existing mental health issues may all factor in. 

Early research suggests that somewhere around 9 to 10 out of every 100 cannabis users may end up with a cannabis use disorder, but new data suggests even higher (up to 1 in 3). Those who start using the plant in their teenage years may have up to a 17% risk of developing cannabis use disorder, but that’s according to 2008 data. Regardless, a 2024 review by the National Academies of Science and Engineering (NASEM) finds overall, there is insufficient data that adolescent use changes with enacting cannabis policy.

While studies greatly vary – and the CDC has different statistics for these – we see this as an opportunity to better educate the public about the risks of cannabis use to ensure that adults are empowered and able to make responsible decisions. 

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Concerns about adolescent brain development are valid, too. Developing brains may be more susceptible to harm, and cannabis may provide further problems. We still need more research to better understand the harms, but we do know that high-potency THC products may play a role. 

The CDC continues to echo the 25-year-old brain age benchmark for cannabis safety, while the most recent 2025 research claims to debunk this as a myth. While these concerns are valid, it’s important to note that recreational cannabis laws do not allow teenagers to possess or purchase cannabis. Also, minor cannabinoids like CBD and CBG may still be of benefit to them without concerning intoxicating effects. 

As far as concerns around mental health, we know that some states recommend medical cannabis for psychiatric conditions like anxiety and others. While the plant may help with some conditions, it also could exacerbate others. The same can be said for alcohol and other legal substances. 

Likewise, when it comes to physical health problems, educated adults can choose to use cannabis if they’ve decided the benefits outweigh the risks. Overall, an updated 2024 review by NASEM notes “limited or suggestive evidence” that cannabis increases related hospital visits, but insufficient evidence of an association between policy and mental health outcomes at large.  

Will Crime Increase?

Another commonly cited concern about legal cannabis is increased crime rates. A recent example from earlier this year comes from Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, who said, “Those local governments, by and large, are going to use the revenue to deal with the problems that are caused by more marijuana being available in the community — we’re going to have more crime; we’re going to have more addiction problems.”

We see sentiments like Huffman’s often when opponents debate the risks of legalizing cannabis. But the fear around increased crime has been debunked again and again. 

In one early example, researchers looked at dispensaries in California counties to see if their presence increased crime rates. They found no link between violent crimes and dispensaries in 2018. Additionally, they observed that property crimes declined in areas with dispensaries, likely because dispensaries implemented additional security measures. However, they also observed an increase in DUI arrests in counties with dispensaries, though the correlation between the two was weak.

Another 2019 study looked at the long-term effects of cannabis legalization in Colorado and Washington. Researchers concluded that dispensaries did not produce significant statistical changes in violent or property crime rates. Overall, the study concluded that cannabis legalization and sales have minimal to no effect on major crimes in either state. 

In the 2024 NASEM report, experts analyzed data since then and likewise find consistent declines in violent crime overall. Additionally, dispensaries are usually zoned into historically disadvantaged areas, which may affect other crime rates.

READ: Where Is Cannabis Legal? A State-by-State Guide to U.S. Marijuana Laws

The Bottom Line 

While the majority of Americans are in favor of at least some type of cannabis legalization, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the major arguments from the other side. Understanding what concerns other people about legalization can help boost our education efforts to better inform the public. 

Whether you’re concerned about legalization or looking for facts to debunk other opponents’ arguments, we hope the answers to these main questions will serve as a helpful resource.