Marijuana Regulatory Frameworks in Four US States: An Analysis Against a Public Health Standard

Abstract

The movement to legalize and regulate retail marijuana is growing. We examined legislation and regulations in the first 4 states to legalize recreational marijuana (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) to analyze whether public health best practices from tobacco and alcohol control to reduce population-level demand were being followed. Only between 34% and 51% of policies followed best practices. Marijuana regulations generally followed US alcohol policy regarding conflict of interest, taxation, education (youth-based and problematic users), warning labels, and research that does not seek to minimize consumption and the associated health effects. Application of US alcohol policies to marijuana has been challenged by some policy actors, notably those advocating public health policies modeled on tobacco control. Reversing past decisions to regulate marijuana modeled on alcohol policies will likely become increasingly difficult once these processes are set in motion and a dominant policy framework and trajectory becomes established. Designing future marijuana legislation to prioritize public health over business would make it easier to implement legalization of recreational marijuana in a way that protects health.

Availability of licensed cannabis businesses in relation to area deprivation in Washington state: A spatiotemporal analysis of cannabis business presence between 2014 and 2017

“…To our knowledge, this is the first US study to examine variations in availability of licensed cannabis businesses over time. Given the increasing scientific and policy focus on the spatial inequality in distribution of licensed cannabis businesses and the associations between availability of cannabis retail and cannabis use , a more in‐depth understanding of change in the cannabis scape is essential.…”

“…States, local authorities and policy makers have started developing regulations for the cannabis industry while health impacts of such regulations are yet to be known . Legalisation of cannabis has been suggested to increase its consumption beyond the illegal sales legalization may replace .…”

“…States, local authorities and policy makers have started developing regulations for the cannabis industry while health impacts of such regulations are yet to be known . Legalisation of cannabis has been suggested to increase its consumption beyond the illegal sales legalization may replace . Alcohol Impact Area rules created frameworks for the WSLCB, the alcohol industry and communities to mitigate public intoxication or illegal activities associated with sales and consumption of alcohol .…”

Development of a tobacco 21 policy assessment tool and state-level analysis in the USA, 2015–2019

“…15 Several of these tools serve as standardised measures to assess consistencies and discrepancies between local, state and national policies and inform recommendations for policy revisions, such as a recent study regarding state-level recreational marijuana laws in the USA. 16 What some may believe to be similar policy language (ie, e-cigarette definition) could undermine tobacco prevention (eg, preempting local government from passing stricter measures than state law). 17 Recommendations for MLSA policies found to effectively reduce youth access and exposure to tobacco products include: an enforcement plan that includes compliance checks (using decoys aged 18-20 years); ensuring selection of retailers for compliance checks includes sampling locations where epidemiological data suggest higher tobacco usage rates; pursuing monetary penalties for violators and funding enforcement with these gains; suspending and revoking tobacco retail licences (TRLs) following repeated violations; and educating both retailers and the public about the law through education and signage.…”

Unpacking the Socioeconomic Dynamics of Marijuana Policy Change: Why Does It Matter?

“…Acute risks associated with consumption of highly potent marijuana products (i.e., cannabinoid concentrates, edibles), most of which have become more available in legal adult-use markets, include elevated risks for mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, and hallucinations), accidental ingestion in children and adults, cyclic vomiting syndrome, and burns [12,14,19e22]. Although Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska have begun to incorporate health warnings on the potential harms of consuming marijuana into their statewide marijuana education campaigns, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the relationship between regulatory design and the consequences of implementation on changes in consumption patterns to prevent and treat future cannabis use disorders [2].…”