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

Roberts, Emmert

doi:10.1192/bjp.2024.4

Br J Psychiatry

2024

DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2024.4

|View full text |Cite

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

Emmert Roberts

Abstract: Summary Several jurisdictions across the globe have introduced legislation to legally permit the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis. This editorial considers current evidence from the rest of the world and asks how this might inform the possible consequences of ‘legalisation’ models in the UK.

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2024

Publication Types

Select...

Article1

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent1

Authors

Journals

Cited by 1 publication

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Genetic influences and causal pathways shared between cannabis use disorder and other substance use traits

Galimberti,

Levey,

Deak

et al. 2024

Mol Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cannabis use disorder (CanUD) has increased with the legalization of the use of cannabis. Around 20% of individuals using cannabis develop CanUD, and the number of users has grown with increasing ease of access. CanUD and other substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated phenotypically and genetically. We leveraged new CanUD genomics data to undertake genetically-informed analyses with unprecedented power, to investigate the genetic architecture and causal relationships between CanUD and lifetime cannabis use with risk for developing SUDs and substance use traits. Analyses included calculating local and global genetic correlations, genomic structural equation modeling (genomicSEM), and Mendelian Randomization (MR). Results from the genetic correlation and genomicSEM analyses demonstrated that CanUD and cannabis use differ in their relationships with SUDs and substance use traits. We found significant causal effects of CanUD influencing all the analyzed traits: opioid use disorder (OUD) (Inverse variant weighted, IVW β = 0.925 ± 0.082), problematic alcohol use (PAU) (IVW β = 0.443 ± 0.030), drinks per week (DPW) (IVW β = 0.182 ± 0.025), Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) (IVW β = 0.183 ± 0.052), cigarettes per day (IVW β = 0.150 ± 0.045), current versus former smokers (IVW β = 0.178 ± 0.052), and smoking initiation (IVW β = 0.405 ± 0.042). We also found evidence of bidirectionality showing that OUD, PAU, smoking initiation, smoking cessation, and DPW all increase risk of developing CanUD. For cannabis use, bidirectional relationships were inferred with PAU, smoking initiation, and DPW; cannabis use was also associated with a higher risk of developing OUD (IVW β = 0.785 ± 0.266). GenomicSEM confirmed that CanUD and cannabis use load onto different genetic factors. We conclude that CanUD and cannabis use can increase the risk of developing other SUDs. This has substantial public health implications; the move towards legalization of cannabis use may be expected to increase other kinds of problematic substance use. These harmful outcomes are in addition to the medical harms associated directly with CanUD.

show abstract

Genetic influences and causal pathways shared between cannabis use disorder and other substance use traits

Galimberti,

Levey,

Deak

et al. 2024

Mol Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

hi@scite.ai

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

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

Cited by 1 publication

References 10 publications

Genetic influences and causal pathways shared between cannabis use disorder and other substance use traits

Genetic influences and causal pathways shared between cannabis use disorder and other substance use traits

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About