Has the Legalisation of Medical and Recreational Cannabis Use in the USA Affected the Prevalence of Cannabis Use and Cannabis Use Disorders?

AbstractPurpose of ReviewSince California legalised medical use of cannabis in 1996, 29 other US states have done so. Eight US states have legalised the retail sale of cannabis to adults over the age of 21  years since 2012. Critics of these policy changes have suggested that they will increase the prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis use disorders. This paper (1) briefly describes the types of regulatory regimes for medical and recreational cannabis use in the USA, (2) describes possible effects of these policies on cannabis use and (3) assesses the impacts to date of the legalisation of medical and recreational cannabis use on the prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis use disorders in the US population. We (1) describe the regulatory regimes for medical and recreational cannabis use in t he USA, (2) make predictions about their possible effects on the price and availability of cannabis, (3) conduct a review to summarise studies of the effects of legalising medical cannabis use in the USA on rates of cannabis use and cannabis use disorders and (4) assess early indications of the effe cts of legalising recreational cannabis use on cannabis use and cannabis use disorders.Recent FindingsLiberal forms of medical cannabis regulation have probably reduced prices and increased the availability of cannabis. Analyses of survey data suggest that these changes have increased the prevalence and frequency of cannabis use among adults over the age of 21  years, but they have not to...
Source: Current Addiction Reports - Category: Addiction Source Type: research