Troubling New Cannabis Study shows that Legalizing Marijuana is linked with an increase in problematic pot use

A troubling new study shows that legalizing marijuana is linked with an increase in problematic pot use

A new study found that problematic marijuana use increased by 25% among teens in states with legal pot shops.
Adults over the age of 26 also reported increased marijuana use. The study looked at survey data for about 500,000 people.
While concerning, "our results in no way imply that we shouldn't be legalizing marijuana," one of the study's authors, NYU Langone's Magdalena Cerdá, told Business Insider in an interview.

A new study raises questions about the effects of legalizing marijuana on teen users.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found a small increase in heavy, detrimental marijuana use among teens in states with legal marijuana shops. It also showed a small increase in problematic marijuana use, known as cannabis use disorder, among adults.

As more states weigh whether to legalize marijuana — and some 2020 presidential candidates advocate for nationwide legalization on the country's biggest stage — the study fills an important gap around how the use of marijuana is changing among teens and adults post-legalization.

"With all of the benefits of marijuana legalization, it's important for states to be prepared and to track how health outcomes change as marijuana becomes more available," Magdalena Cerdá, an associate professor and director of the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy at NYU Langone Health, told Business Insider in an interview. Cerda is the lead author of the study.

The researchers used data from a national survey to understand how people use marijuana and to clearly define what types of use are problematic. Those who are classified as having cannabis use disorder can show signs like increased tolerance to the drug, repeated attempts to quit or moderate usage, and may have had social, professional, and interpersonal problems as a result of their cannabis use.

The study shows that among teens aged 12 to 17, problematic marijuana use was 25% higher when states legalized marijuana. The researchers note that the increase was small, from 2.18% to 2.72%. Among adults 26 and older, cannabis use disorder increased from 0.9% to 1.23%.

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Last Edited by Cannabis Kills People! on 11/13/2019 04:06 PM