In 2018, Canada became the second country in the world, behind Uruguay, to legalize cannabis for recreational use. This move sparked debates and concerns about potential consequences, particularly among young adults. However, a recent study published in JAMA has shed new light on this topic by showing that legalization does not necessarily lead to increased cannabis use among young people.
This study adds to the growing evidence that legalization does not significantly impact young adults’ cannabis use, contrary to common beliefs. It challenges the notion that legalizing cannabis will increase overall usage and highlights the importance of considering individual pre-legalization use patterns when studying the effects of legalization.
Study Details and Findings
The study published in JAMA used data from the Canadian National Cannabis Survey to examine the patterns of cannabis use among young adults before and after legalization. The sample size “included 619 participants considered high-risk young adults in Ontario, Canada, aged 19.5 to 23 years old, who reported regular heavy episodic drinking (65% past-month cannabis use) at enrollment. Participants were surveyed every 4 months for 3 years between February 2017 and February 2020 (3 prelegalization waves, 4 postlegalization waves)”, with a relatively equal representation of men and women. The researchers also measured cannabis-related consequences using the Brief Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire (BMCQ), a 21-question version of the Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire (MACQ).
The findings of the study revealed that, on average, there was a decrease in cannabis use frequency and consequences among young adults following legalization, with the authors of the study saying, “This study examined changes in cannabis use and consequences following recreational cannabis legalization in Canada in a sample of high-risk young adults, addressing the common concern that legalization may precipitate increases in use, particularly in this age group. Rather than detecting increases, however, the results revealed decreases overall, which is broadly consistent with substance use trajectories that might be expected among this age group in the absence of any policy change. Correspondingly, the changes observed in this study did not appear to be markedly changed by cannabis legalization.”
“Follow-up tests showed individuals who used cannabis more frequently prelegalization significantly decreased their use and cannabis-related consequences postlegalization. In contrast, individuals who did not use cannabis prelegalization exhibited a small magnitude increase in frequency over time but nonsignificant changes in cannabis-related consequences.”
The study also found that the consequences of using cannabis lowered after legalization, saying, “A B-MACQ score of 0 (no cannabis-related consequences) was most prevalent prelegalization and postlegalization; however, this category grew between these time points (315 participants [51%] and 352 participants [57%], respectively); this was the most stable category over time. The majority of those who reported 1 to 4 consequences over time transitioned to either no consequences (78 participants [47%]) or 5 or more consequences (26 participants [16%]) postlegalization.”
Normalize Cannabis
The study’s authors suggest that normalization of cannabis use pre-legalization may have played a role in the lack of significant changes following legalization. This is supported by previous studies showing a high level of acceptance and use of cannabis among Canadians before legalization.
These findings have significant implications for other countries considering cannabis reform. It challenges the idea that legalizing cannabis will automatically lead to increased use and highlights the importance of normalizing cannabis use before implementing any policy changes. This can help shape future cannabis policies in other countries and potentially lead to a decrease in overall use among young adults.
Moreover, this study also challenges the misconception that legalization will inevitably result in negative consequences for young people. By showing a decrease in both the frequency and consequences of cannabis use among young adults, it offers a different perspective on the potential impact of legalization.
This study’s results align with previous research in the United States, which has also shown that cannabis legalization does not lead to increased use among young people.
For example, a research article called Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Adolescent Cannabis Use Across 3 Studies concluded, “Change in legalization status across adolescence was not significantly related to within-person change in the probability or frequency of self-reported past-year cannabis use.”
“Youth who spent more of their adolescence under legalization were no more or less likely to have used cannabis at age 15 years than adolescents who spent little or no time under legalization.”
Another example from the Journal of the American Medical Association published a significant report analyzing federal data from more than 1.4 million high school students. The researchers found no significant associations between the enactment of adult-use legalization laws and marijuana use or frequency of use among high school students. The study also examined medical cannabis laws and concluded they did not impact youth marijuana use. These findings were consistent with the results of a meta-analysis of 55 academic papers and multiple data sources published by the journal Current Addiction Reports in September 2018. Those researchers wrote, “Liberal forms of medical cannabis regulation… have not to date increased rates of cannabis use among adolescents.”
Overall, the results of various studies have consistently shown that cannabis legalization does not lead to increased use among young people. This study adds to the growing body of evidence that legalization can result in a decrease in cannabis use and consequences among young adults.
The normalization of cannabis before legalization may play a significant role in this trend, suggesting that countries looking to implement cannabis reform should work towards making cannabis more socially acceptable before legalizing it. This can help reduce the stigma associated with cannabis use and potentially lead to a decrease in overall use among young adults.
In conclusion, these findings challenge common misconceptions surrounding cannabis legalization and offer insights for other countries considering similar policies. With more research being conducted on the impacts of legalization, we can continue to reshape our understanding of cannabis use and work towards creating evidence-based policies for its regulation.
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