A Cleveland psychiatrist has raised alarm over how Ohio cannabis legalisation affects young people’s mental health. He warned that, as a result, the growing normalisation of cannabis use may mask serious psychiatric risks.

For example, Dr Fawad Taj described treating a patient in his 20s who began using cannabis gummies for sleep. However, what started as a simple solution quickly escalated, and the young man eventually ended up in hospital with severe psychiatric symptoms. By the time he reached the psychiatric unit, Dr Taj explained, he was not sleeping, was no longer attending class and, moreover, no longer trusted his own thoughts.

The psychiatrist warns that such cases have become alarmingly common since Ohio cannabis legalisation in 2023, with young people seeking calm but finding collapse instead.

Delta-8 THC products pose unregulated threat

Governor Mike DeWine recently attempted to ban unregulated Delta-8 THC products, calling them “a threat to our kids,” though a court paused the ban. These hemp-derived products escape the testing and oversight that licensed dispensaries follow under Ohio cannabis legalisation rules.

Research shows teenagers exposed to cannabis advertising view the drug as safer and begin using it more frequently. Those consuming high-THC products face increased risks of hallucinations, disorganised thinking and emotional distress.

Canada has seen schizophrenia cases linked to cannabis-use disorder nearly triple since legalisation—a pattern Dr Taj fears could emerge in Ohio.

Whilst Ohio collects substantial tax revenue from cannabis sales—expected to reach $1 billion annually—the state currently earmarks none specifically for youth mental health programmes.

Dr Taj advocates redirecting cannabis revenue to youth mental health and early-psychosis programmes. “Economic growth should never come at the expense of Ohio’s young minds,” he emphasised. “Issue 2 made marijuana legal; it did not make it harmless.”

Read Dr Taj’s full opinion piece in The Columbus Dispatch