When it comes to the use of marijuana and psychedelics, the kids are alright…aren’t they? Many public health experts aren’t so sure. Let’s parse the latest data.

The use of cannabis and psychedelics among young adults hit an all-time high in 2021, according to new data published this week by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH’s findings are part of the government’s annual survey of drug use among young Americans. The study also found that nicotine vaping and excessive alcohol consumption substantially rose in 2021.

Another salient trend is the growing consumption of alcoholic beverages infused with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance in cannabis that gets users “high.”

NIH released the survey results to the public on Monday, August 22:

Many public health experts, including those at NIH, decried the growing use of marijuana and hallucinogens among young adults.

“Overall, the results are very concerning,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, which publishes the annual Monitoring the Future survey. “What they tell us is that the problem of substance abuse among young people has gotten worse in this country, and that the pandemic, with all its mental stressors and turmoil, has likely contributed to the rise.”

Volkow’s rather alarmist view is widely shared by others in her field. But many public health experts take exception.

They argue that this gloomy perspective fails to consider the ample body of scientific research that testifies to the relative safety of marijuana and hallucinogens (especially in comparison to alcohol, nicotine and opioids). Volkow also skips over the proven medical benefits of pot and psychedelics to treat depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other psychological ailments.

What’s more, driving greater use of pot and psychedelics is their increasing legalization, and transition into mainstream society. As laws and social norms change, it stands to reason that behaviors will change.

Watch This Video: Chasing “The Spirit Molecule”

The NIH online survey of people ages 19 to 60 was conducted from April to October 2021. The survey found that 43% in the 19-30 age group had used cannabis 20 or more times over the previous month, up from 34%. In 2011, that figure was 29%. Daily marijuana consumption soared, to 11% from 6% in 2011. Greater marijuana use also was registered among people ages 35 to 50.

The legal normalization of marijuana has convinced many young people that the substance is harmless, or at the very least, not egregiously harmful. A similar trend is occurring with psychedelics. In 2021, 8% of young adults reported using psychedelics (versus 3% in 2011), a record high since the category was first surveyed in 1988.

The upshot, from an investment perspective: The markets for marijuana and psychedelics continue to expand and find new customers, with tremendous room for future growth. But what about the social consequences?

Booze, the leading killer…

Public health officials who are fretting over the latest NIH survey results seem to be affected by the cultural baggage of marijuana and psychedelics, because the empirical data about their safety outweigh the subjective preconceptions.

The real source of concern, say many experts, should be alcohol. Under the NIH survey, reports of binge drinking by young adults (defined as having five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks) jumped to 32% in 2021 from 28% in 2020.

For people between the ages of 15 and 49 years old worldwide, alcohol is the leading risk factor for death, according to a landmark study by the medical journal The Lancet. The context of this research is death by any cause.

The prestigious publication found that the more people drink, the more their risk of dying and their risk of cancer rises. More than 30,700 Americans die from alcohol-induced causes annually.

There are 2,200 alcohol poisoning (i.e., overdose) deaths in the U.S. each year. On the other hand, data compiled by U.S. health agencies uniformly tell us that there have been zero documented deaths from poisoning by cannabis or psychedelics.

Scientific research also shows that cannabis is significantly less addictive than alcohol, and psychedelics aren’t addictive at all.

To be sure, driving while under the influence of pot or psychedelics is a legitimate public safety issue, which is being addressed by law enforcement agencies.

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It’s not the job of Marijuana Investing Daily to “lobby” for greater consumption or legalization of marijuana and psychedelics. Our mission is to simply state the facts to make you a smarter investor in these sectors.

As Bob Dylan sang: “The times, they are a’changin.” The widening use of marijuana and hallucinogens is radically changing society. Every investment portfolio should have exposure to this megatrend.

The most worrisome aspect of the NIH survey is the evidence of greater binge drinking and nicotine vaping, whereas reams of independent clinical research demonstrate the medical and psychological benefits of marijuana and psychedelics.

Indeed, when used in a therapeutic setting, psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin can help wean people away from addictions to truly deadly drugs.

Want to learn more? Read my new book: The Wide World of Weed and Psychedelics. Click here for your copy.

John Persinos is the editorial director of Investing Daily.

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