The Impacts of Medical Marijuana Laws
This session examines the impact of medical marijuana laws on youth substance use and abuse, the use of other illicit substances, and automobile accidents. The three papers posit that medical marijuana laws increase access to illicit marijuana, thus reducing its price. This price reduction – and also the sociological impact of indicating that marijuana use might be acceptable or even beneficial – is expected to increase the use of marijuana. At the same time, the lower price for illicit marijuana may lead to substitution away from other illicit substances, such as “hard” drugs and alcohol. Two papers use national data to explore these hypotheses, and the third paper uses data from within California to assess whether local regulations regarding the distribution of medical marijuana affects marijuana-involved motor vehicle accidents. Together, these papers provide important information for policymakers on the impacts of medical marijuana.