Confessions of a Former Stoner

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In the past 15 years, the consensus on marijuana has changed dramatically. After Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize weed in 2012, others quickly followed suit—and marijuana is now legal for recreational use in 24 of the 50 states. With widespread legalization, the stigma that surrounded weed has largely fallen away.

Almost overnight, the narrative shifted from “gateway drug” to “healthy and harmless.” The prevailing wisdom became that marijuana isn’t addictive, it’s medicinal. It can help you sleep, soothe your anxiety, or unlock your creativity. Compared with alcohol or opioids, it’s basically nothing to worry about.

But the reality is not so simple.

Today, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have cannabis use disorder. Recent studies have linked adolescent cannabis use to significantly higher risks of psychosis and bipolar disorder. Emergency rooms are seeing more cases of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome—a condition marked by severe, repeated vomiting tied to heavy marijuana use.

But long before this national reckoning began, there were individuals who knew they were addicted before we understood what the implications of long-term, excessive mirijuana use were.

I sat down with Neal Pollack, someone who built his life and identity around cannabis use before changing his mind about what it does to the mind and body.

Neal, a writer who used to be a correspondent for a national marijuana newspaper, spent much of his life promoting the drug’s cultural and legal adoption. As America begins to come to terms with the effects of widespread legalization, I wanted to speak with Neal about what happens when a drug you define yourself by becomes legal, and then celebrated. And what it takes to step away from something you once believed made your life better.