I don't think it should be available for everyone with mental illness. It could be therapeutic for many people, but detrimental to many others.

For instance, my friend's brother has schizophrenia and she claimed he got it from smoking pot. A claim I scoffed at. But it turns out, people who have a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia can have the disease brought on (or at least, the onset hastened) by marijuana. So as a layperson, I could conclude that marijuana is probably bad for those with schizophrenia. But I guess it would be up to the patient and treating physician to decide.

And for my older daughter, marijuana is most definitely a trigger for her abuse of alcohol and methamphetamines. And when she smokes it, other behavioral issues such as stealing, trips to the ER for minor injuries/illnesses and work absenteeism become more prominent. My husband also sees marijuana as a trigger for his alcohol and thus doesn't use it. I'm unwilling to say it's bad for everyone with a substance abuse problem, but clearly, it is for them.

Now, my son can use it in moderation and it does appear to help him when his anxiety is particularly bad, but as a rule, he chooses to address it without any medication at all and uses meditation and exercise to keep it in check. He's wary of overusing the marijuana and then maybe it wouldn't work anymore, just as other medications he used in the past. And my other daughter won't try it for her anxiety because she feels it would interfere with her ADHD medication and she also uses meditation and biofeedback to address the problem. They are adults and free to make their own decisions regarding their medications and mental health treatment.

Therefore, I believe that marijuana use in mental illness should be handled individually. But clearly, it's not for everyone.