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

Lit review
by
Manthey, Jakob et al

Release Date

2023

Geography

North America

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

Studied the link between the higher availability of medical cannabis dispensaries to increased cannabis consumption and harm.

Findings/Key points

Increased availability of legal cannabis was linked to increased current cannabis use and health-related outcomes (vomiting, psychosis, or cannabis-involved pregnancies), regardless of the indicator employed to measure availability (proximity or density) among both adults and adolescents. The positive correlation between cannabis availability and consumption is most pronounced among those groups who have been less exposed to cannabis before legalization. The association between the availability of legal cannabis and risky use indicators was less consistent.

Design/methods

Lit review (13 studies included)

Keywords

Policy/Regulatory
Outcomes