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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A statewide program in Kentucky aims to provide credentialing and pathways to a career in social work for people in substance use disorder recovery. Advocates say the Career Ladders in Mental and Behavioral Health or CLIMB-Health program is vital for the state to boost the mental health and social services workforce.

Carl Wilson, senior fellow for healthcare development and initiatives with the Kentucky Council on Secondary Education, said it also provides opportunities for those in recovery to make a living and expand their career horizons.

"You can gain both occupation credentials and or employment all the way up through a professional level within this program. So the program offers individuals with lived experience a tailored pathway," he said.

Community colleges across the state serving more than 100,000 residents are now working with people who have been state-certified peer support specialists, to transfer their training toward Bachelor of Social Work degrees. The CLIMB-Health program began on Kentucky Community & Technical College System campuses in counties with the highest overdose deaths.

Wilson said residents in drug court programs in all 120 counties face barriers to employment.

"When they get to that employer interview, and that employer runs that background, and they see the addiction issue, they see in most cases, the justice involvement, they're locked out of opportunities," he added.

The goal is to fill urgent gaps in the state's healthcare system and boost long-term economic stability for people living in recovery.

"We have approximately 50,000 to 0,000 untapped workers for our workforce in Kentucky that have not been given that opportunity to have a specialized program which addresses them," Wilson continued.

While overdose rates in other states are declining Kentucky ranks among the top ten states in the nation for drug overdose deaths, according to the CDC.

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While overdose deaths in the Commonwealth have declined, deaths among Black Kentuckians have increased by 5%, according to data from the latest Kentucky Overdose Fatality Report.

Organizations across the state are working to stem overdose deaths among residents of color. In Bowling Green, the nonprofit HOTEL INC. is focused on harm reduction.

Rebecca Troxell, HOTEL INC. lead navigator, explains the group's street teams go into homeless encampments and provide Narcan, fentanyl strips, hygiene packets and medical care.

"We have volunteer doctors, EMTs and nurses who go out with us, so we're able to provide medical care on site. We're able to provide educational components with that, as well, helping people understand what harm reduction really is," she said.

She added a recent SHIFT grant from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will allow the street teams to reach more people. The program, which awards funding up to $50,000, aims to reduce disparities and other inequities worsened by the drug crisis.

In Lexington, the nonprofit agricultural organization Black Soil KY is adding Narcan boxes and educational materials to its farmers markets. They are also working to improve access to fresh food among Kentuckians in recovery.

Ashley Smith, co-founder and CEO of Black Soil, said farmers will also receive harm-reduction training: "We know having that unbarriered access to local goods, like seasonal produce, local meat within your recovery housing, just really provides an advantage for the overall outcome."

Kayla Migneron, director of the Louisville-based maternal health program Granny's Birth Initiative, said the SHIFT grant funding will help expand stigma-reduction training for doulas.

"Our main goal is that any person would be comfortable coming to get assistance from us, whether it's accessing resources using our stuff, even just asking for connections to other programming," explained Migneron.

Nationwide, overdose deaths among mostly younger Black women nearly tripled between 2015 and 2021.

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In Robeson County, the opioid crisis is exposing the need for increased addiction support. The Southeastern Prevention and Addiction Recovery Resource Center is tackling the issue by bringing together more than 70 organizations into a unified recovery network.

Jackie Davis, SPARC director, says its goal is to streamline services and improve access to comprehensive support.

"Robeson County has a high rate of usage, and so one of the main challenges has been services and then organizations and agencies working in silos," Davis said.

She added that before SPARC, local agencies were isolated in their efforts. Now with funding and support in part from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trusts, she said community-based initiative is fostering cooperation to better serve the people of Robeson County, with plans to secure ongoing funding and improve access to care.

Davis said SPARC provides critical resources such as training, educational support and help securing opioid settlement funds. She said these efforts have improved patient care and developed long-term recovery strategies tailored to the community's needs.

"Health disparities here, we just want to reduce or even eliminate if we can, because we know that there are major differences from rural areas to urban areas or larger cities, and we just want better for our community," she said.

She noted that future goals include addressing transportation barriers to ensure access to services and ensuring sustainability through continued funding and support for member organizations.

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