What are policies to help people who use marijuana be safer?

There are a range of policies that local, state, and federal governments can adopt to reduce the harms associated with marijuana use and criminalization.

These policies should ensure that legalization protects health, advances equity, and prioritizes community well-being.

Prioritizing health:

• Create protections for consumer health. Marijuana products should be clearly labeled with their THC level and standard dose. CBD and hemp products should be held to the same quality control standards as marijuana.
• Ensure people have access to accurate information about marijuana use, risks, and safer practices. 
• Restrict youth access to marijuana. Marijuana businesses must verify the age of all customers before a sale. If a business knowingly sells to minors, the government should revoke their license to operate.
• Ensure medical marijuana access for those in need. Marijuana provides relief for a variety of health conditions. People who need marijuana to treat or alleviate their health conditions should have affordable access.
• Prioritize health and community investment. Enforce regulations that protect public health, prevent over-commercialization, and invest tax revenues into communities harmed by prohibition.
• Invest in addiction services. A full range of addiction services—including counseling, medications, long-term treatment, and recovery housing—should be available to individuals. Personalized support reduces overdose risk and improves recovery chances.
• Stop large companies from putting profits before people. Large corporations undermine health reforms to increase their bottom-line and monopolize the market.

Reducing the harms of criminalization or punishment:

• No one should be arrested for marijuana. At a minimum, marijuana possession should be decriminalized. Ideally, marijuana should be legal at the state and federal levels as a regulated, adult-only, age-restricted consumer product.
• Clear records for all past marijuana arrests and convictions. Ensure people with past marijuana convictions cannot be deported, denied access to benefits, or discriminated against. They should be able to participate in legal markets.
• Restore benefits, rights, and opportunities for people who have been criminalized for marijuana, and release anyone currently in prison for marijuana.
• Reduce drug testing in employment, particularly where it is unrelated to safety-sensitive roles.

Reviewed and updated by Dr. Sheila P. Vakharia on 08/01/2025.