Experts Debate Best Ways to Regulate Marijuana

Readers offer differing views on balancing legalization and public health concerns

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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In a series of letters to the editor, experts and readers debate the best ways to regulate the legalization of marijuana. Some argue for stricter regulations to protect public health, especially for young people, while others contend that prohibition does more harm than good and that marijuana can be a safe alternative to alcohol and opioids.

Why it matters

As more states move to legalize marijuana, there is an ongoing debate over how to balance the benefits of legalization with the potential public health risks, especially for vulnerable populations like children and teens. Striking the right regulatory approach is crucial to minimizing harm while respecting individual liberties.

The details

The letters cover a range of perspectives on marijuana regulation. Some argue that taxes, potency limits, and restrictions on marketing and packaging are needed to curb addiction and youth use. Others contend that prohibition causes more harm than good, and that marijuana can be a safe alternative to alcohol and opioids for many adults. There is also discussion of the differences between regulated and unregulated marijuana markets, with licensed products less likely to target children compared to illicit market goods.

  • The New York Times published this series of letters on February 13, 2026.

The players

Charles Fain Lehman

A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who has argued that banning the sale of marijuana without criminalizing possession is the most effective way to address the harms of legalization.

Paul Armentano

The deputy director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, who argues that legalization allows governments to oversee markets, establish regulations, and sanction those who don't follow the rules.

Robyn Oster and Linda Richter

The director of policy and the senior vice president for prevention research and policy at the national nonprofit Partnership to End Addiction, who call for stricter regulations to protect public health, especially for young people.

Catherine Hiller

The author of 'Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir' who argues that marijuana is an effective relaxant and mild inebriant for her, and that people's experiences with it can vary widely.

Martha Payne

A reader from Fairhope, Alabama who argues that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and nicotine, which she was addicted to for over 50 years.

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What they’re saying

“The harms of outright prohibition are real. But banning the sale of marijuana without criminalizing its possession — as advocates are pushing to do in Massachusetts — is the most effective way to decouple addiction from the profit motive. If we don't do that, then the problems will keep getting bigger.”

— Charles Fain Lehman, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute (The New York Times)

“Legalization provides governments with the ability to oversee markets, establish regulations and best practices for those who participate in it, and to sanction those who don't play by the rules.”

— Paul Armentano, Deputy Director, NORML (The New York Times)

“Higher taxes and restricting high-potency products and misleading health claims are critical. But we need to go further, by adopting research-based safeguards to ensure that products, packaging and advertising minimize youth appeal.”

— Robyn Oster and Linda Richter, Director of Policy and Senior VP for Prevention Research and Policy, Partnership to End Addiction (The New York Times)

“I can go without pot for days or weeks at a time — as I soon will, when I travel to France, where cannabis is illegal — without physical or mental consequences.”

— Catherine Hiller, Author, 'Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir' (The New York Times)

“Now, in my seventh decade, I occasionally have a medical cannabis edible to treat chronic pain. Otherwise I would have to use opioids, which I know can create dependency and carries a greater overall risk than the occasional gummy.”

— Martha Payne (The New York Times)

The takeaway

This debate highlights the complex challenge of regulating marijuana in a way that balances public health concerns, especially for vulnerable populations, with respecting individual liberties. Experts disagree on the best approach, but there is broad consensus that a thoughtful, evidence-based regulatory framework is needed as more states move to legalize cannabis.