New York has no THC potency limits. Legal dispensaries sell products up to 90% THC with zero restrictions on youth access.
What parents need to know →
New York Cannabis Is Getting Stronger. Science Says That's a Problem.
THC potency has skyrocketed 300% since the 1990s. The health consequences are real — and New York has the power to act.
increase in average THC potency since 1995
daily cannabis users develop dependency
higher psychosis risk with high-potency products
of adolescent users show signs of cannabis use disorder
New York Teens Are Being Hospitalized.
Albany Has Done Nothing.
Rise in cannabis-related ER visits in legal states
States that legalized recreational cannabis saw a 54% increase in cannabis-related emergency department visits, with the sharpest increases among adolescents.
Chihuri & Li, Preventive Medicine, 2022
Of schizophrenia cases in young men linked to cannabis use disorder
A Danish national registry study of 6.9 million person-years found cannabis use disorder attributable to roughly 30% of schizophrenia diagnoses in men aged 21–30.
Hjorthøj et al., Psychological Medicine, 2023
Higher odds of psychosis with daily high-potency use
Daily high-potency cannabis users face five times the odds of a psychotic disorder compared to non-users. The risk is highest in people under 25.
Di Forti et al., The Lancet Psychiatry, 2019
New York has no THC potency cap. Every other major regulated market — including the UK, Netherlands, and several U.S. states — has implemented or is actively debating limits. New York has not acted.
See the Policy →This Is Not the Cannabis
Anyone Grew Up With.
Cannabis in the 1990s averaged 2–4% THC. Today's legal concentrates reach 90%. That's not a gradual increase — it's a 20–45× jump in potency with no corresponding safety regulation.
Every piece of research on cannabis risk was conducted on products far weaker than what New York teens can legally access today. The science hasn't caught up — and Albany hasn't acted.
Sources: NIDA, Stuyt (2018) Missouri Medicine, ElSohly et al. (2016) Biological Psychiatry
Your Child Can Be Affected.
Most Parents Don't Realize It Until It's Too Late.
High-potency cannabis vape pens are odorless, pocket-sized, and indistinguishable from nicotine products. The warning signs — mood swings, withdrawal, declining grades — look exactly like normal teenage behavior. By the time most parents connect the dots, their child has been using for months.
The brain doesn't finish developing until age 25. High-potency THC exposure during adolescence disrupts that development in ways that can be permanent — including elevated risk of anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
What Every Parent Needs to KnowWhen the human brain fully develops — every year before that is a window of vulnerability
Maximum THC concentration in legal New York concentrates — with no potency limit in law
Higher psychosis risk for adolescent users compared to adult users of the same product
THC potency limits currently in New York State law — none, for any product, at any strength
Did you know?
Daily high-potency cannabis use raises the odds of psychosis by five times.
Di Forti et al., The Lancet Psychiatry, 2019 — multi-site study across 11 cities
Sign the Petition NowOur Kids Are the Highest-Stakes Victims of High-Potency Cannabis
The adolescent brain is still developing until age 25. High-potency THC doesn't just get teenagers high — it rewires developing neural pathways, dramatically raises the risk of psychosis, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and can cause permanent cognitive harm. New York's legal market is selling products with THC concentrations that would have been unimaginable a decade ago — and our children are paying the price.
See the Full ScienceNo responsible society knowingly sells products that double, triple, or quintuple the risk of serious mental illness in children. We regulate alcohol by strength. We must regulate cannabis the same way.
higher schizophrenia risk for heavy youth users
higher bipolar disorder risk with regular use
when the brain finally finishes developing
of teen users show cannabis use disorder signs within 2 years
The Science Is Clear. The Policy Hasn't Caught Up.
What Are THC Potency Limits?
THC potency limits cap the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol — the psychoactive compound in cannabis — in legal products. Just as alcohol is regulated by ABV, cannabis can be regulated by THC percentage. Science-informed limits protect consumers, especially youth, from the documented harms of high-potency products.
Read the ResearchAdolescent Brain Risk
Young people who use high-potency cannabis are twice as likely to develop psychosis compared to non-users. The developing brain is uniquely vulnerable.
Psychosis Risk
Daily use of high-potency cannabis (>10% THC) is associated with a fourfold increase in psychosis risk, according to peer-reviewed research.
Dependency
One in five daily cannabis users will develop cannabis use disorder — a rate that rises sharply with higher-potency products.
Youth Impact
30% of adolescent cannabis users show signs of cannabis use disorder within two years of first use.
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This Isn't Just a New York Problem.
High-potency cannabis is sold without limits in legal markets across the country. New York is where we start — but the fight for science-based potency regulation belongs to every American who cares about public health.
States with legal recreational cannabis
More than half of U.S. states have legalized recreational cannabis — and most have no meaningful THC potency limits. The same crisis playing out in New York is happening nationwide.
Federal THC potency standards
There are no federal standards for THC concentration in cannabis products. States are on their own — and most have done nothing. New York passing limits would set a precedent for the entire country.
New York can lead the nation
When New York acts, other states follow. A potency cap in Albany sends a signal to every state legislature in the country that evidence-based cannabis regulation is possible — and necessary.
What's happening in other states
Rise in cannabis-related hospitalizations
Colorado's hospital discharge data shows cannabis-related hospitalizations rose 148% in the eight years following legalization — driven largely by psychosis, anxiety disorders, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.
Colorado Hospital Association, 2021
Higher psychosis diagnosis rate among daily users
California health data shows daily high-potency cannabis users are three times more likely to receive a first-episode psychosis diagnosis than non-users — with concentrate users at the highest risk.
CA Dept. of Public Health, 2022
Increase in cannabis-related ER visits
Washington state emergency departments saw cannabis-related visits more than double after legalization, with psychiatric presentations — including psychosis and suicidal ideation — accounting for the largest share.
WA Dept. of Health, 2022
Of cannabis use disorder diagnosis vs. pre-legalization
Oregon's post-legalization data shows the rate of cannabis use disorder diagnoses doubled compared to the pre-legalization baseline — with adolescents and young adults disproportionately affected.
Oregon Health Authority, 2023
Not from New York? Your signature still matters.
Signatures from across the country show Albany lawmakers that the whole nation is watching — and that science-based cannabis regulation has broad, bipartisan support. Sign the petition and help us make history.
Your signature tells Albany: regulate THC like we regulate alcohol strength.
Science-informed limits are not prohibition. They are responsible public health policy — the same kind that governs alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals.
People across America have signed
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