The impact of legal cannabis availability on cannabis use and health outcomes: A systematic review

The association between physical availability of cannabis retail outlets and frequent cannabis use and related health harms: a systematic review

“…Our findings are consistent with two prior reviews suggesting that greater cannabis retail access is associated with increased traffic collisions and cannabis use prevalence (e.g., past-year use) and some adverse health outcomes. 16 , 56 Adding to this literature, we found that greater cannabis retail access was associated with increases in adverse health outcomes, including daily and problematic cannabis use and cannabis-related emergency department visits and hospitalisations in a diversity of populations. Importantly, the causal nature of this association remains unclear.…”

“… 15 A systematic review examined the association between cannabis retail access and cannabis use, including a small number of cannabis harms such as psychosis, vomiting, or cannabis-involved pregnancies. 16 Importantly, the review mainly focused on changes in past-year or past-month cannabis use (7 or the 13 included studies), which has lower public health and clinical relevance than healthcare visits due to cannabis use or measures of frequent use such as cannabis use disorders. 16 The review included only three small studies, all from Colorado state, examining the association between cannabis retail access and healthcare visits related to cannabis use.…”

“… 16 Importantly, the review mainly focused on changes in past-year or past-month cannabis use (7 or the 13 included studies), which has lower public health and clinical relevance than healthcare visits due to cannabis use or measures of frequent use such as cannabis use disorders. 16 The review included only three small studies, all from Colorado state, examining the association between cannabis retail access and healthcare visits related to cannabis use. In addition, the number of studies in this area has expanded rapidly, including a growing number of studies from Canada, which recently legalised non-medical cannabis.…”

Prenatal Exposure to Tobacco and Cannabis in Six Race/Ethnicity Groups during the First Three Years after Legalization of Cannabis for Recreational Use in California

“…It is not clear whether there were underlying differences in this association by race/ethnicity, as we found in our study. In a systematic literature review of the impact of legal cannabis availability on cannabis use, authors concluded that groups who have been least exposed to cannabis before legalization may be most susceptible to increased availability [54].…”

What impact could the legalisation of recreational cannabis have on the health of the UK? Lessons from the rest of the world

“…( 1 , 2 , 4 ) Global reports also suggest that several cannabis-related mental and physical health harms may increase upon legalisation with these likely to be concentrated among teenagers, young adults, pregnant women and those with existing mental health disorders. ( 5 ) Increased availability following legalisation has been linked to increased rates of psychosis and cannabis-involved pregnancies, ( 4 , 6 ) with this association more pronounced among people who have been less exposed to cannabis products prior to legalisation. Given cannabis use is a significant risk factor for people, with and without underlying psychosis, to transition to schizophrenia spectrum disorders any significant post legalisation increase in availability, potency or consumption may have a substantial impact on population level mental health.…”