Do medical marijuana laws increase prescription stimulant use?

Abstract

Background: Chronic cannabis use can present with cognitive impairments that resemble ADHD. Our objective was to determine if medical cannabis (MC) legalization increased prescription stimulant distribution. Methods: We extracted distribution of methylphenidate, amphetamine, and lisdexamfetamine from the comprehensive database published by the Drug Enforcement Administration for 2006 to 2021 and compared the three-year population-corrected slopes of stimulant distribution before and after MC program implementation. Results: We found a very large main effect of time (p<0.001), but, contrary to the hypothesis not MC sales status, on slopes of distribution (p=0.391). There was a significant and large interaction effect of time and MC sales status on slopes of distribution (p<0.001). Discussion: These findings suggest that medical cannabis program legalization may have contributed to some states having more rapid increases in Schedule II stimulant distribution rates over time.