Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, 2018. Impacts of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado

This originally appeared at https://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2021-SB13-283_Rpt.pdf Impact on Youth According to the most recent report, the proportion of Colorado high school students reporting using cannabis ever in their lifetime remained statistically stagnant from 36.9% in 2013 to 35.9% in 2019. In addition, Colorado’s 2019 rate of 35.9% was slightly lower than the national rate of 36.8% […]

Canada’s cannabis legalization and police-reported cannabis-related criminal incidents among youth, 2015–2021

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871623001308 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109892Get rights and content Abstract Background We previously reported that the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Act, allowing youth to possess up to 5 g dried cannabis or equivalent for personal use/sharing, was associated with short-term (76 days) post-legalization reduction in police-reported cannabis-related crimes among youth. To establish whether the change might be sustained, we now estimate […]

Albania takes step closer to legalising medical cannabis cultivation

Albania takes step closer to legalising medical cannabis cultivation Officials in Albania have approved a draft bill which would regulate the production and export of medicinal and industrial cannabis. On Friday 16 June, the Council of Ministers voted to approve a draft bill to legalise the production of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes. The […]

California announces $20M cannabis research grant recipients

This originally appeared at https://cannabis.ca.gov/2023/04/california-announces-20m-cannabis-research-grant-recipients/ Apr 25, 2023 Sixteen grant recipients will study medicinal use of cannabis, cannabis potency, health of the cannabis industry, monopolies and unfair competition, and California legacy genetics & genetic sequencing CALIFORNIA – The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) awarded $20 million in research grants to 16 academic institutions. These […]

Decriminalization of marijuana opens doors for some scientists

A growing interest in cannabis has led to new career opportunities This originally appeared at https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-022-01761-5/index.html Here’s an odd job in science: on a regular basis, Natasha Mason, a psychopharmacology postdoctoral researcher at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, offers cannabis to her study participants. They get the drug for free — but there’s a catch. […]

NCAA Panel Recommends Removing Marijuana From Banned Substances List For College Athletes

This originally appeared at https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/6/16/media-center-csmas-signals-its-support-for-removing-cannabis-from-banned-drug-list-and-drug-testing-protocols.aspx The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports signaled its support for removing cannabis from the Association’s banned drug list and testing protocols. The committee will gather input from the membership this summer, with final action expected in the fall.  This issue was referred to the committee, […]

The effect of marijuana legalization on neighborhood crime

This originally appeared at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016604621830293X# Abstract This paper studies the effects of marijuana legalization on neighborhood crime and documents the patterns in retail dispensary locations over time using detailed micro-level data from Denver, Colorado. To account for endogenous retail dispensary locations, we use a novel identification strategy that exploits exogenous changes in demand across different […]

Cannabis and pregnancy: Maternal child health implications during a period of drug policy liberalization

This originally appeared at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743517301755 Abstract Cannabis use is common and increasing among women in the United States. State policies are changing with a movement towards decriminalization and legalization. We explore the implications of cannabis liberalization for maternal and child health. Most women who use cannabis quit or cut back during pregnancy. Although women are […]

Maternal Marijuana Use and Adverse Neonatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This originally appeared at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27607879/ Shayna N Conner  1 , Victoria Bedell, Kim Lipsey, George A Macones, Alison G Cahill, Methodius G Tuuli PMID: 27607879 DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000001649 OBJECTIVE:  To estimate whether marijuana use in pregnancy increases risks for adverse neonatal outcomes and clarify if any increased risk is attributable to marijuana use itself or to confounding factors such as tobacco […]

Characteristics of pregnant illicit drug users and associations between cannabis use and perinatal outcome in a population-based study

This originally appeared at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20171023/ Marleen M H J van Gelder  1 , Jennita Reefhuis, Alissa R Caton, Martha M Werler, Charlotte M Druschel, Nel Roeleveld; National Birth Defects Prevention Study PMID: 20171023 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.01.007 Abstract Background: According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 4.6% of American women reported use of an illicit drug during pregnancy. Previous […]