The importance of psychology for shaping legal cannabis regulation.

Abstract

Different patterns of cannabis use can be traced directly back to different interactions between 2 types of variables: pharmacological and environmental. As legal cannabis expands in the U.S. and around the world, state and national regulatory agencies are gaining control over these variables. Specifically, regulatory agencies are increasingly capable of altering (a) the pharmacological properties of cannabis products and (b) the way these products are distributed to the population. Consequently, cannabis regulatory agencies are in a unique position to use evidence from psychological science to alter cannabis consumption patterns in ways that mitigate potential harm to public health. However, most state-level legal cannabis regulatory systems in the U.S. are not yet evidence-based or public health-oriented. This applied review and commentary draws on evidence from the psychological science literature to help regulators better understand the types of behaviors they must address and guide empirically supported regulation of THC-laden cannabis, whether used putatively for medical or recreational reasons. This review is organized into 3 parts that correspond to the 3 primary agents within the cannabis regulation ecosystem: (a) the cannabis consumer, (b) the cannabis industry, and (c) the cannabis regulatory agency. Within this structure, the review addresses critical psychological variables that drive cannabis consumer and industry behaviors and discusses how regulatory agencies can use this information to protect public health.

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“…he legalization of cannabis has emerged as a significant global phenomenon, eliciting a range of regulatory responses aimed at navigating the complex socio-economic and public health landscapes. As various jurisdictions endeavor to craft policies that protect public health while curbing illegal markets, understanding the multifaceted impacts of these regulatory frameworks becomes essential (Aaronson & Rothschild-Elyassi, 2021;Adams et al, 2021;Amroussia et al, 2020;Borodovsky et al, 2021;Hall & Lynskey, 2020;Robinson et al, 2020;Rosic et al, 2021;Wadsworth et al, 2022). The evolution of cannabis regulation presents a unique case study in regulatory science, a discipline that seeks to optimize policy outcomes through evidence-based strategies and systematic analysis.…”

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