State Policies Will Influence Marijuana Use Among Americans

More than 50% of Americans changed their minds about intentions to smoke marijuana based on ramifications, or lack thereof, set forth by their state of residency, according to new research released at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) 2016 Annual Meeting in Denver.

Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health sampled more than 500 people living in five states where marijuana legalization is on voting ballots for 2016 Election Day (Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Florida) or likely will be in coming years (Michigan), asking if people would be influenced to legally buy marijuana based on four factors:

Cannabis
Cannabis has a long history of medicinal, recreational, and industrial use and comes from a bushy plant with thick sticky flowers called Cannabis Sativa

‘The aim of the state policies is to value all people equally, promote prevention and zero in on the social determinants of health.’

Tweet it Now

• the price of a gram of marijuana;

• whether or not a marijuana smoker could be be arrested for public use;

• whether or not employers could fire employees for marijuana use away from work; and

No Difference in Adolescent Marijuana Use After States Pass Medical Marijuana Laws
Adults over the age of 25 increased their use of marijuana after their home states made changes to medical marijuana laws.

• whether or not a state can maintain records of each marijuana sale.

The data found that these factors influenced most decision-makers.

First Atomic-Level Image Of The Human 'Marijuana Receptor'
Human cannabinoid receptor 1 will provide an essential tool for understanding why some molecules related to the active chemical in marijuana.

Policies preventing an employer’s ability to fire employees for smoking away from work would increase the number of people who use marijuana by 9%.

Additionally, a state raising the price of marijuana by $19 would decrease the number of people who use marijuana by around 5% points.

More and More Young Adult Cigarette Smokers Use Marijuana
The occurrence of co-use of marijuana and tobacco in young adults is increasing over the years. Cessation counseling sessions should be targeted as main intervention to cut down on this alarming usage

“Legalization isn’t a ‘yes or no’ question,” said lead researcher Mike McLaughlin, a PhD candidate at the Yale School of Public Health. “There are a lot of details that policymakers need to work out if legalization is going to be implemented, and the public should take an active role in shaping legalization measures moving forward. I would encourage individuals to become informed about the details of legalization measures being considered where they live.”

APHA 2016 is themed Creating the Healthiest Nation: Ensuring the Right to Health and will focus on moving toward health equity, which means to value all people equally, promote prevention and zero in on the social determinants of health.

Source-Medindia