Many would think that the use of marijuana has increased due to the fact that it has become legally available whether medicinally or recreationally in more states.

This assumption is wrong according to a study by the Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group, that is in the journal Addiction which was published online recently.

The study states, “Medical and recreational marijuana policies did not have any significant association with increased marijuana use. Marijuana policy liberalization over the past 20 years has certainly been associated with increased marijuana use; however, policy changes appear to have occurred in response to changing attitudes within states and to have effects on attitudes and behaviors more generally in the U.S.”

Researchers analyzed data from periodic National Alcohol Surveys and looked at this data next to results on marijuana use against changes in state laws.

According to the study, the researchers found that the rise in cannabis use was “primarily explained by period effects.”

“The steep rise in marijuana use in the United States since 2005 occurred across the population and is attributable to general period effects not specifically linked to the liberalization of marijuana policies in some states,” the paper said.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Oregon Considers Exporting Marijuana
02 January 2019
From the Archives: Werner Herzog’s Strange Visions (1985)
21 August 2022
Legislation to Allow Marijuana Recommendations to Military Vets is Approved
27 June 2018