Influence of legal status on the uptake of cannabis in young people

Abstract

Recent findings:There are significant concerns that ongoing policy changes in favour of legalisation will increase the uptake of cannabis by young people. Evidence to support a causal effect of cannabis policy changes on increased uptake by young people is lacking; more time may be needed to assess the impact because the policies are still evolving. Policy changes in favour of legalisation were associated with reduced risk perception although this may be a cause or consequence. The need to situate the impact of these policies in the context of specific policy features, social norms and perceptions about cannabis has been highlighted. Summary:A more nuanced understanding of the impact of the legal status of cannabis on young people is needed to build evidence for future policy options. The impact of these policies may not be immediately apparent but l prioritised during policy deliberations.

Ready, willing, and able: the role of cannabis use opportunities in understanding adolescent cannabis use

“…Recent trends favouring liberalization of cannabis have raised concerns about its increasing availability, and the consequences for children and adolescents for whom the early and heavy use remains associated with negative outcomes . Although current liberalization efforts have targeted adults only, many have argued that these vulnerable underage populations may also be affected indirectly, as both the supply (e.g.…”

Impact evaluations of drug decriminalisation and legal regulation on drug use, health and social harms: a systematic review

“…Dirisu et al found no conclusive evidence that cannabis legalisation for medical or recreational purposes increases cannabis use by young people. 20 In the two meta-analyses, Sarvet et al found that the implementation of medical cannabis policies in the USA did not lead to increases in the prevalence of past-month cannabis use among adolescents 21 and Melchior et al found a small increase in use following recreational legalisation that was reported only among lower-quality studies. 22 Given increasing interest in quantifying the impact of drug law reform, as well as a lack of systematic assessment of outcomes beyond adolescent cannabis use to date, we conducted a systematic review of original peer-reviewed research evaluating the impacts of (a) legal regulation and (b) drug decriminalisation on drug availability, use or related health and social harms.…”

“…Dirisu et al found no conclusive evidence that cannabis legalisation for medical or recreational purposes increases cannabis use by young people. 20 In the two meta-analyses, Sarvet et al found that the implementation of medical cannabis policies in the USA did not lead to increases in the prevalence of past-month cannabis use among adolescents 21 and Melchior et al found a small increase in use following recreational legalisation that was reported only among lower-quality studies. 22 …”

A comparison of common practices for identifying substance use during pregnancy in obstetric clinics

“…While harm to the newborn due to opioid use in pregnancy (eg, neonatal abstinence syndrome) is well documented and widely known, less is known about the negative health consequences of marijuana use during pregnancy. This fact raises concern given that changes in policy around marijuana use may result in an increase in social acceptability and a decrease in perceptions of harm . This increasing trend has been evidenced among newborns in Colorado where there have been substantially more marijuana‐exposed infants after the legalization of marijuana .…”

“…This increasing trend has been evidenced among newborns in Colorado where there have been substantially more marijuana‐exposed infants after the legalization of marijuana . Misconceptions about marijuana or cannabis use abound and include beliefs that marijuana is beneficial and nonaddictive . Anecdotally, women have been known to use marijuana to combat nausea and lack of appetite during pregnancy.…”