Young people in liberal countries consume more cannabis and have a lower dependency rate

According to a new study by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, youth living in liberal countries consume more marijuana, but have a lower marijuana dependency rate. Essentially, this finding is true whether or not the state legalized marijuana for medical purposes, suggesting that the general political climate is affecting the way people use this drug. It also reminds that the effects of legalization will be different in different states.

At present, 33 states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, while 10 have legalized it. As approval continues to grow, many researchers are questioning the impact of legalization on health outcomes. For the new study, published this week in the International Journal of Drug Policyresearchers cross-referenced drug use data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health with information on the liberal or conservative nature of a state. (The "liberal" or "conservative" ranking comes from the state-run state of political liberalism, which examines a state's policies on abortion, taxes, collective bargaining, arms control. fire and federal badistance programs.)

The results showed that these policies, which are not specifically cannabis-related, still have an impact on cannabis use, according to study author Morgan Philbin, a professor of socio-medical sciences at Columbia University. . Although the study is not designed to examine the influence of a specific policy on cannabis outcomes, it is still important for policymakers to realize that cannabis laws adopted in different states may have results. different.

In general, citizens of both Liberal and Conservative states consume more marijuana. In the space of about eight years, ending in 2011, the percentage of cannabis users aged 18 to 25 living in liberal states rose from 33% to about 37%. In contrast, figures for the same age group in conservative states rose from about 25% to 26%.

Similarly, in both liberal and conservative states, fewer people are struggling with a cannabis use disorder. People with CUD experience withdrawal symptoms, such as mood and sleep problems, if they do not consume cannabis for a period of time and can not stop using it, even if it has a negative impact on their life. CUD rates rose from 20% to 17% in the liberal states. However, CUD rates fell only 22% in the Conservative states, from 22% to 18%, while fewer people in the Conservative states used marijuana to begin with.

According to Philbin, we do not see why we see this trend. It is also important to note that the study only covered badociations; that does not prove that living in a liberal state will make someone smoke more weeds. However, it is important to understand that laws on the legalization of marijuana can have different results and have different impacts depending on the local political climate, she adds. For example, states may differ depending on factors such as availability and stigma, which could change attitudes towards cannabis, which could have different health consequences if a law on the legalization of marijuana was adopted. Second, the Philbin team will conduct similar research on recreational cannabis laws and focus on specific policies that may affect the outcome of drug abuse.