Over the past 20 years, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use. Despite these changes to state laws, opponents continue to argue that marijuana causes more harm than good. A new study refutes their claims and shows that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco, and researchers and policymakers may have overestimated the risks associated with its use.

Despite their known health risks, alcohol and tobacco are exempted from the Controlled Substances Act due to cultural and economic reasons. Alcohol and tobacco have been acceptable substances in U.S. culture since well before the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, and they are two of the most widely used substances nationally. The researchers believe that the risks of alcohol and tobacco may have been underestimated in the past, and are urging federal government to focus their efforts more on mitigating the harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco than on other substances, such as marijuana.

In contrast, the risks of marijuana may have been overestimated. For the mortality endpoint alone, the findings showed marijuana's MOE to be above safety thresholds at the individual and population levels. There has never been a case of a cannabis overdose death. This lends weight to the argument that marijuana should be removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, a category reserved for the most dangerous substances.

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