A new study by the University of Minnesota is warning that the use of cannabis has risen 20% in states such as California and Oregon that have legalized the recreational use of the drug, The Daily Mail reports.

The research team noted that along with its legalization, producers are now creating more potent varieties of Marijuana and the study warned that it is an “addictive substance associated with negative health and psychosocial outcomes.”

The main push from the activists and politicians justifying the legalization of Marijuana is that it is a ‘safe’ drug.

The Daily Mail also interviewed former White House drug advisor, Kevin Sabet, who said the current promoters of cannabis used the same spin as the tobacco industry decades back, who conned the public by promoting it as a safe activity.

The Daily Mail explains:

‘Legalization proponents promised everything from lower drug use to a reduced illicit market and tax revenue that would outweigh costs,’ said Sabet, also president of the campaign group Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

‘None of that has been fulfilled, and instead we see today’s supercharged THC being marketed, commercialized, and promoted by a for-profit industry that will stop at nothing to make money at the expense of public health.’

The cannabis industry was, he said, following the tobacco firms that misled the public with bogus health claims in the 1950s, saying it would ‘make the product more addictive, downplay risks, rake in money, and deny wrongdoing’.

READ: Cannabis use has ROCKETED up by 20% in states where it has been legalized, study finds as researchers warn of ‘negative health and psychosocial outcomes’ of drug that is rapidly becoming available nationwide

Dangers of marijuana usage for teens

The biggest concern about the legalization of Marijuana is the message that it is a safe drug. Studies reveal it is not, particularly among teens who are being conned into using the drug by the safe messaging:

• READ: Teenagers who smoke cannabis have ‘poor memory and abnormal brain structures
• READ: Liberal parents who let their children smoke cannabis are warned that the drug is causing up to a THIRD of psychosis cases in London and strong ‘skunk’ can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms
• READ: Study shows Marijuana usage by teens may increase risk of schizophrenia and psychiatric problems
• READ: Smoking cannabis can lead to maniac behaviour: Hyperactivity, aggression and delusion are all strongly linked with the drug, researchers warn
• READ: Scientists show cannabis triples psychosis risk: Groundbreaking research blames ‘skunk’ for 1 in 4 serious mental disorders