Correction: The Colorado General Assembly is still considering legislation to cap THC potency for marijuana products. An earlier version incorrectly said it was not.

RICHMOND, Va. -- As Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam proposes fast tracking marijuana legalization to July 1, health-care advocates are concerned high-potency cannabis products will harm the health of Virginians, particularly young people.

Jonathan Lee, medical director for addiction treatment facility the Farley Center in Williamsburg, said multiple studies show a link between high-potency marijuana and adverse reactions including anxiety disorders, depression and even psychotic episodes.

He said the National Institute on Drug Abuse finds 9% to 10% of people who use marijuana regularly will become physically dependent on it and experience withdrawal symptoms.

"This actually goes up dramatically when teenagers or young adolescents are using cannabis," Lee explained. "It goes up to about 17% of teenagers who use cannabis, particularly on a daily basis, will develop a substance-use disorder to cannabis."

He noted pot potency is much higher now than decades ago, and is concerned the impact of marijuana use today on Virginians will be worse than in the past, especially for young people whose brains are still developing.

Proponents of marijuana use say it helps with relaxation and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lee said Virginians need to be aware other hazards of marijuana products with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive part of cannabis, include dangers around small children eating cakes or candies made with the drug.

However, he thinks it's important to lower the potency to address those concerns but decriminalize marijuana so folks struggling with substance-abuse disorders aren't penalized and put into the criminal-justice system.

"The thought from the American Society of Addiction Medicine is that these people deserve to either have screenings looking to see if they might have other substance-use disorders including cannabis, and to have the education, prevention and treatment that should be available to the general population."

Four state legislatures are proposing state-level caps on potency levels of THC, including Florida, Massachusetts and Washington. A potential bill in Colorado never made it to the Legislature because it triggered a backlash with pro-marijuana advocates claiming caps can lead to a return to prohibition. But Colorado lawmakers are still discussing the issue.


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Death rates in Maine have been on the rise among people who use drugs, not only from overdoses but also complications due to injection drug use.

Currently in Maine, syringe-service programs will only give someone the number of syringes that are being recovered, but advocates have noted this can be limiting, especially in a state as rural as Maine.

When people don't have an adequate amount of safe-use supplies, said June Evergreen, who is in recovery and runs the syringe-service program at the Maine Health Equity Alliance, they're more likely to reuse or share syringes.

"Some folks need a higher amount of supply due to lack of regular transportation and/or because of employment, and not having regular ability to access brick-and-mortar syringe exchange," she said. "Participants need a higher amount to help redistribute and share amongst the substance-use social networks. These are just a few examples."

A bill in the Legislature would end the "one-for-one" rule.

Evergreen said providing as many syringes as an individual's personal experience dictates does not result in more syringe litter, especially when they also provide disposal.

Dr. Kinna Thakarar, an infectious disease and addiction specialist with the Northern New England Society of Addiction Medicine and the Maine Medical Association, said she treats many patients with complications from injection drug use. This may include HIV, hepatitis, skin and soft tissue infections, or endocarditis, which is a heart infection.

"Maine has one of the highest rates of acute Hepatitis B, also one of the highest rates of 'Hep C' - I see many of these patients in clinic," she said. "And while we enjoy treating infections, it'd be much easier to prevent the infections; and we know that they're easily preventable through less restrictive syringe-service program policies."

A public hearing is scheduled for the bill next Tuesday. In 2021, Maine saw more than 600 overdose deaths, 77% due to fentanyl. Advocates have said it's important to also provide fentanyl test kits as part of safe-use supplies.

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A bill before the Maine Legislature would expand the state's Good Samaritan law, which protects people seeking help for an overdose from arrest or prosecution.

Currently, the law protects the person who is experiencing the overdose and the person seeking medical assistance for them.

Courtney Allen, policy director for the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, said it does not protect everybody at the scene, and does not protect people for things such as bail or probation violations. She explained the expanded bill would fill those gaps.

"This law is too weak to protect most of my community members, and drug-using communities are very well aware of it," Allen asserted. "We must pass a Good Samaritan Law that is clear and concise and able to be executed out to drug-using communities that they understand and that they trust."

The bill's sponsors note being arrested or convicted for drug-related offenses can have major impacts on people's ability to get housing, employment or student loans.

Sherri Talbot, a substance-abuse counselor and Narcan trainer, said it is important to call 911 when an overdose occurs, even if Narcan, a treatment for opioid overdoses, has been administered.

She said opioids can last longer than Narcan, and there may be other substances involved.

"The number of cases where people aren't calling 911 is absolutely overwhelming in the area I work," Talbot pointed out. "We hear about very few overdoses except for the ones where people don't make it. It is so vital, I cannot stress enough, it is vital that people feel safe to call, because right now they don't."

Forty-seven states plus Washington D.C. have a Good Samaritan Law, and nationwide, the Government Accountability Office found those states see lower opioid-related overdose deaths, and when people know about the law, they are more likely to call 911.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced another staggering new death count amid the pandemic: more than 100,000 fatal drug overdoses from April 2020 to 2021.

Groups working to curb such preventable deaths in Brooklyn are also pushing for solutions statewide. The group Voices Of Community Activists and Leaders (VOCAL NY), distributes clean needles, fentanyl test strips and Narcan, which can reverse an overdose.

Darryl Roberson, senior peer in the group Voices Of Community Activists and Leaders, works on the ground with participants.

"Overdoses are common, but we've saved a lot of lives," Roberson explained. "I see down the road, that we can defeat it; we have to still have a lot of support."

VOCAL NY is among 240 organizations across the nation now calling for passage of federal legislation which could help prevent opioid deaths in every neighborhood. In a letter sent to Congress, they have called for swift passage of the federal STOP Fentanyl Act, which improves surveillance and detection of the potent drug.

New York City's Health Department reports fentanyl is the most common substance found in all overdose deaths.

Melissa Moore, director of civil systems reform for the Drug Policy Alliance, said its presence in so many illicit drug batches is a further reason for what she calls a "people-first" approach to addiction.

"We need a lot more shifting away from criminalization, and from tactics from the failed drug war that have really been ineffective," Moore asserted. "And a move to person-centered, health-centered policies."

In the meantime, New York City has taken drastic action to prevent overdoses by opening the nation's first publicly recognized safe consumption sites in Upper Manhattan.

The move has been controversial. At the Overdose Prevention Centers, people can use drugs, receive medical care and have their supply inspected for fentanyl.

Research has shown the centers to effectively prevent lethal overdoses for decades in other countries. Moore believes the need is clear in all five boroughs.

"Because we know that's going to be the thing that will actually save lives, in this moment," Moore contended.

Any New Yorker seeking help with an addiction, for themselves or a loved one, can call 877-8-HOPE-NY.

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