Recreational Cannabis Legalization Changes How Perception of Harm Impacts Cannabis Use

Keywords: cannabis, marijuana, legalization
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 17

Abstract

The legalization and commercialization of recreational cannabis use is growing rapidly in the US. Cannabis use is increasing, while perception of cannabis use as harmful is decreasing. In the present study, we investigate whether 1) recreational legalization reduces the perception of cannabis use as harmful or, conversely, perception of cannabis as less harmful precedes recreational cannabis legalization, and 2) whether recreational cannabis legalization changes the association of perception of harm with cannabis use. We focus on adolescents and young adults, as these are the age groups most vulnerable to the negative effects of heavy cannabis use. We employ state and year fixed effects regression, as well as difference-in-differences modeling. Results indicate that reduced perception of harm precedes recreational cannabis legalization, and legalization further reduces perception of harm among adolescents. Cannabis use also increased following legalization for both age groups. We also find that following legalization, the effect of perception of harm on cannabis use is enhanced for adolescents and young adults. These results suggest that, for both adolescents and young adults, continuing increases in the prevalence of cannabis use following recreational legalization may be expected given the decline in the perception of harm combined with the greater availability of cannabis following legalization, allowing those with lower perception of harm enhanced access to cannabis. Educating adolescents and young adults about the potential harmful effects of heavy cannabis use may be of particular importance in reducing cannabis use disorder and other negative outcomes associated with heavy cannabis use.