The DOI matches its Crossref record; 115 of the 116 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Early evidence of the impact of cannabis legalization on cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and the use of other substances: Findings from state policy evaluations
Open accessAbstract
Background: The past decade has seen unprecedented shifts in the cannabis policy environment, and the public health impacts of these changes will hinge on how they affect patterns of cannabis use and the use and harms associated with other substances.Objectives: To review existing research on how state cannabis policy impacts substance use, emphasizing studies using methods for causal inference and highlighting gaps in our understanding of policy impacts on evolving cannabis markets.Methods: Narrative review of quasi-experimental studies for how medical cannabis laws (MCLs) and recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) affect cannabis use and use disorders, as well as the use of or harms from alcohol, opioids, and tobacco.Results: Research suggests MCLs increase adult but not adolescent cannabis use, and provisions of the laws associated with less regulated supply may increase adult cannabis use disorders. These laws may reduce some opioid-related harms, while their impacts on alcohol and tobacco use remain uncertain. Research on RCLs is just emerging, but findings suggest little impact on the prevalence of adolescent cannabis use, potential increases in college student use, and unknown effects on other substance use.Conclusions: Research on how MCLs influence cannabis use has advanced our understanding of the importance of heterogeneity in policies, populations, and market dynamics, but studies of how MCLs relate to other substance use often ignore these factors. Understanding effects of cannabis laws requires greater attention to differences in short- versus long-term effects of the laws, nuances of policies and patterns of consumption, and careful consideration of appropriate control groups.
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“These increases are partially due to more states legalizing recreational and medical cannabis, as well as decriminalizing its possession and use (Farrelly et al., 2023, Lapham et al., 2023, Smart and Pacula, 2019).”
From Prevalence of and trends in current cannabis use among US youth and adults, 2013–2022 (2024) · cites this paper as Smart and Pacula, 2019
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“These increases in adults, but not youth, use may be attributed to or influenced by recent surges in legalization and decriminalization of cannabis use in the US.”
From Prevalence of and trends in current cannabis use among US youth and adults, 2013–2022 (2024) · cites this paper as Smart and Pacula, 2019
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Research works printed but not linked: 4
- 10.1002/pam.2015.34.issue-1 · DOI
- Smart R. Essays on the effects of medical marijuana laws [PhD Dissertation]. Los Angeles: University of California Los Angeles; 2016.
- Smart RG. Essays on the effects of medical marijuana laws [Doctoral Dissertation]. Los Angeles: University of California; 2016.
- Miech RA Schulenberg JE Johnston LD Bachman JG O’Malley PM Patrick ME.National adolescent drug trends in 2018 [press release]. Ann Arbor MI: Monitoring the Future; 2018. Available at: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org
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Younger, D. S. (2026) · Neurologic Clinics · doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2026.08.019
Drivers of simultaneous use of wine and cannabis among German wine consumers
Ghvanidze, S., Ščasný, M., Svanidze, M., & Hanf, J. H. (2026) · British Food Journal · doi:10.1108/bfj-10-2025-1455
Cannabis Regulation and Social Welfare: Why Do Most Countries Fail in Their Implementation?
Gudic, E., Ryška, T., Srivastava, M., & Tyll, L. (2026) · FIIB Business Review · doi:10.1177/23197145261491421
Metadata
- Authors
- Smart, R., & Pacula, R. L.
- Affiliations
- RAND Corporation (US)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Corresponding author
- Smart, Rosanna
- Venue
- The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-10-11
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 644-663
- ISSN
- 0095-2990 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-9891
- PMC
- PMC6934162
- OpenAlex
- W2980236327
- Cited by
- 305
- References
- 116
- Citations by year
- 2026: 34 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 62 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 4.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (2t32hd007545-21)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA026268)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32-HD007545, P2CHD041022)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Keywords
- cannabis legalization, medical cannabis laws, cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, substance use, alcohol consumption, opioid use, tobacco use, adolescent cannabis use
- MeSH terms
- Marijuana Use, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Alcohol Drinking, Marijuana Abuse, Humans, Legislation, Drug, Opioid-Related Disorders, Public Policy, Substance-Related Disorders, Medical Marijuana, Tobacco Use
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