Using Administrative and Survey Data to Evaluate the Impact of Changing Marijuana Laws and Policies on Marijuana Use, Treatment Admissions for Marijuana, and Mortality Related to Marijuana and Other Drug Use

• NCJ Number: 305927
• Author(s): Maggie Martin; Rebecca Ivester; Jesse Mishra; Maryam Salihu; Sonya Richard; Ryan Kling
• Date Published: 2022
• Grant Number(s): 2016-R2-CX-K001
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Developing Methods for Assessing Outcomes of Law and Policy on Drug Trafficking Offenders, Organizations, and Criminal Justice Responses

Annotation

This chapter examines data on laws and policies about marijuana production and distribution, and their effects on a variety of public health outcomes.

Abstract

This chapter pertains a book that examines the political and social entrepreneurs working toward marijuana decriminalization, their constituents’ attitude toward legalization, successful legal reforms at the state level, and consequent market dynamics in cannabis commerce. The chapter reviews laws and policies relating to marijuana production and distribution, how they have shifted, and some of the effects of this trend, including an increase in marijuana consumption and more favorable public opinion regarding its use. The authors of this chapter discuss the effects of changes to marijuana law on a variety of public health outcomes, and present research data on marijuana’s potential adverse effects such as dependency, mental health issues, accidents, and other health problems. The authors also discuss their analysis of data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among other data sources.