Parabola Center for Law and Policy (a nonprofit organization comprised of lawyers, policymakers, and public health professionals focusing on emerging industries) recently published results from a study they conducted about cannabis consumers’ perspectives and their experiences in relation to adult-use legalization of cannabis across the various states that have legalized it.
Colorado and Washington State, the two first U.S. state to legalize adult usage, did so in 2012. Colorado’s adult use sales began on 1st January 2014; Washington started later that year. Washington D.C. and two dozen U.S. states have legalized adult use.
Cannabis opponents in the U.S. have been working non-stop since the beginning of the state-level legalization of cannabis for adult use. They even try to reverse the adult-use law where it is already legalized. Massachusetts is a notable example, as voters there will be deciding in November if they want to repeal the legalization.
In Massachusetts, Question 8 (repealing the sale of cannabis) is on the November ballot. This has led to much speculation. This study provides an overview of what you can expect when you ask people. This report looks at the perceived benefits, concerns and recommendations based on 37 in-depth interview across nine states. The sample size is higher than usual for research of this type. In a recent press release, the Parabola Center stated that it had conducted 37 in-depth interviews across nine states. This is a larger sample size than typical for research of this type.
We found participants had a good understanding of the legalization policies when we looked at cannabis consumers’ perspective. Faith English, a researcher in public health at Parabola Center at Johns Hopkins University and a postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. By publishing this information, we hope to encourage policymaking and informed voting that seeks understanding of cannabis consumers instead of stereotyping.
Meredith McGee MPH and her co-authors said, “In depth interviews enable us to capture context information, as well as the experiences of smaller, underrepresented groups that would otherwise be missed using polls, or other quantitative techniques.”
In the Parabola Center’s study, consumers were surveyed from states that have legalized adult-use for at least five years.
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington State
The following is a summary of what cannabis consumers surveyed believed to be positive effects of adult-use marijuana legalization.
- Cannabis-related arrests are reduced and prison sentences for these crimes are also decreased
- Cannabis use is becoming more normalized and stigmatized.
- Enhancing safety and reducing harm
- Economic revitalization
- Access to medical cannabis dispensaries and dispensaries for adult use that offer a variety of products with high quality.
Below is a list that cannabis users surveyed considered the negative effects of legalization.
- Cannabis for Adult Use: Overregulation
- Their tax revenues are not invested in their community as promised
- Cannabis use by minors is a problem
- Cannabis in Public Spaces: A Growing Concern
Consumers were asked to provide their ideas on how legalization could be improved. Here are some of the ideas that participants offered:
- Cannabis tax revenue used to inform policy and increase transparency
- Increased involvement of constituents during policy implementation
- Small businesses are protected by reforms
- Cannabis consumers can legally smoke cannabis in designated areas.
While some of the benefits and limitations described by participants are not supported by science (e.g. there is no evidence that cannabis is “laced” or “cut with LSD”), this confirms the feedback of participants who want more transparent and honest communication by those making and studying policies. These accounts, taken together, provide a unique perspective on everyday life for people living in states that have established markets for adult-use marijuana. The researchers came to a conclusion.
Sponsored Content
This informative article is brought to you by Gen-Europa →