scholarly journals Do Medical Marijuana Laws Increase Hard-Drug Use?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Chu
Keyword(s):  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Hard Drug ◽  
Drug Arrests ◽  
Treatment Data ◽  
Marijuana Consumption ◽  
Hard Drugs ◽  
The University ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws ◽  
Percent Decrease

Medical marijuana laws generate significant debate regarding drug policy. For instance, if marijuana is a complement to hard drugs, then these laws would increase the usage not only of marijuana but also of hard drugs. In this paper I study empirically the effects of medical marijuana laws by analyzing data on drug arrests and treatment admissions. I find that medical marijuana laws increase these proxies for marijuana consumption by around 10–15 percent. However, there is no evidence that cocaine and heroin usage increases. From the arrest data, the estimates indicate a 0–15 percent decrease in possession arrests for cocaine and heroin combined. From the treatment data, the estimates show a 20 percent decrease in admissions for heroin-related treatment, although there is no significant effect for cocaine-related treatment. These results suggest that marijuana may be a substitute for heroin, but it is not strongly correlated with cocaine. © 2015 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

scholarly journals Do Medical Marijuana Laws Increase Hard-Drug Use?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Wei Chu
Keyword(s):  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Hard Drug ◽  
Drug Arrests ◽  
Treatment Data ◽  
Marijuana Consumption ◽  
Hard Drugs ◽  
The University ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws ◽  
Percent Decrease

Medical marijuana laws generate significant debate regarding drug policy. For instance, if marijuana is a complement to hard drugs, then these laws would increase the usage not only of marijuana but also of hard drugs. In this paper I study empirically the effects of medical marijuana laws by analyzing data on drug arrests and treatment admissions. I find that medical marijuana laws increase these proxies for marijuana consumption by around 10–15 percent. However, there is no evidence that cocaine and heroin usage increases. From the arrest data, the estimates indicate a 0–15 percent decrease in possession arrests for cocaine and heroin combined. From the treatment data, the estimates show a 20 percent decrease in admissions for heroin-related treatment, although there is no significant effect for cocaine-related treatment. These results suggest that marijuana may be a substitute for heroin, but it is not strongly correlated with cocaine. © 2015 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

scholarly journals Concerns of Patients With Cancer on Accessing Cannabis Products in a State With Restrictive Medical Marijuana Laws: A Survey Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 531-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinita Singh ◽  
Ali J. Zarrabi ◽  
Kimberly A. Curseen ◽  
Roman Sniecinski ◽  
Justine W. Welsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws ◽  
Source Of Information

PURPOSE: Several states, particularly in the Southeast, have restrictive medical marijuana laws that permit qualified patients to use specific cannabis products. The majority of these states, however, do not provide avenues for accessing cannabis products such as in-state dispensaries. METHODS: We conducted a survey of patients registered for medical marijuana (low tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] oil cards) in an ambulatory palliative care practice in Georgia (one of the states with restrictive medical marijuana laws). RESULTS: We had a total of 101 responses. Among our sample of patients who use cannabis as part of a state-approved low THC oil program, 56% were male and 64% were older than age 50 years. Advanced cancer was the most common reason (76%) for granting the patients access to a low THC oil card. Although patients reported cannabis products as being extremely helpful for reducing pain, they expressed considerable concerns about the legality issues (64%) and ability to obtain THC (68%). Several respondents were using unapproved formulations of cannabis products. For 48% of the patients, their physician was the source of information regarding marijuana-related products. Furthermore, they believed that their health care providers and family members were supportive of their use of cannabis (62% and 79%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients on Georgia’s medical marijuana program are most concerned about the legality of the product and their ability to obtain marijuana-related products. Therefore, we recommend that states with medical marijuana laws should provide safe and reliable access to cannabis products for qualifying patients.

scholarly journals Self-medication of mood and anxiety disorders with marijuana: Higher in states with medical marijuana laws

2018 ◽  
Vol 186 ◽  
pp. 10-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron L. Sarvet ◽  
Melanie M. Wall ◽  
Katherine M. Keyes ◽  
Mark Olfson ◽  
Magdalena Cerdá ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Mood And Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws

scholarly journals Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mark Anderson ◽  
Benjamin Hansen ◽  
Daniel I. Rees
Keyword(s):  
Medical Marijuana ◽  
Marijuana Use ◽  
Medical Marijuana Laws
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