Developing Public Health Regulations for Marijuana: Lessons From Alcohol and Tobacco

Abstract

Until November 2012, no modern jurisdiction had removed the prohibition on the commercial production, distribution, and sale of marijuana for nonmedical purposes-not even the Netherlands. Government agencies in Colorado and Washington are now charged with granting production and processing licenses and developing regulations for legal marijuana, and other states and countries may follow. Our goal is not to address whether marijuana legalization is a good or bad idea but, rather, to help policymakers understand the decisions they face and some lessons learned from research on public health approaches to regulating alcohol and tobacco over the past century.

Is The "grass" Greener? Occupational Wellness In The Colorado Cannabis Industry

“…Given an overwhelming lack of occupational health and safety research and practice in the cannabis industry, primarily due to the novelty of the industry, I developed this study by aligning project goals with NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda goals (Rogers, 2006;Sorerholm, 2006), comparing the cannabis industry to similar industries (e.g., alcohol and tobacco; Pacula et al, 2014), and by using common OHP theories and models, in conjunction with previously collected pilot data, to inform study hypotheses and methodologies.…”

“…However, the cannabis industry is unique because it cannot be directly compared to similar industries elsewhere in the world; this is the first legal cannabis growth and retail industry in existence. In the process of developing and recommending legalization practices and procedures, the cannabis industry has been compared from a public health standpoint to the alcohol and tobacco industries, both of which are currently legislated in the United States for production, sale, and consumption (e.g., Pacula, Kilmer, Wagenaar, Chaloupka, & Caulkins, 2014). Alcohol and tobacco production also involve work characteristics across a variety of sectors, such as agricultural and horticulture, manufacturing, and retail sales.…”

“…For example, similar to the work of Raja and Bhasin (2014) in call centers in India, cannabis industry workers are an emerging, understudied occupational group, and this study was developed accordingly. Although research has compared the cannabis industry to the alcohol and tobacco industries from a public health standpoint (see Pacula et al, 2014), no such comparison has been made in the context of worker experiences on the job. However, work experiences in the cannabis industry may be similar to work in these other industries in some regards.…”

Policy Strategies to Reduce Youth Recreational Marijuana Use

“…This problem could be mitigated for marijuana by stronger enforcement of existing laws, including more compliance audits and stiff penalties, which have been successful in reducing illegal tobacco and alcohol sales to minors. 5 Additionally, states should regulate locations of marijuana retail establishments, keeping them away from playgrounds and schools and prohibiting stores that sell other products to minors from selling marijuana.…”

“…In the United States, commercial free speech has been interpreted to allow some marketing restrictions targeting media sources likely to be viewed by youth, including youth-focused television programs, magazines popular with youth, and online social media sites. 5 As with tobacco and alcohol, online marijuana advertising is not stringently restricted, but websites such as Google voluntarily ban marijuana advertising. Banning branded apparel and other promotional materials and requiring plain packaging for marijuana products could mitigate harmful effects of marijuana advertising on youth.…”