Cannabis Use Disorder is Rising in U.S. States Where Weed is Legal

Rates of cannabis use disorder have risen in U.S. states where the drug has been legalized, including among children and teenagers, according to a study.

The authors of the research published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry argued that while the policies have provided "important social benefits, particularly around issues of equity in criminal justice," the climb in conditions like cannabis use disorder are "a potential public health concern."

To uncover the effects of the changes, researchers looked at surveys completed by 505,796 people between 2008 to 2016. Of the total participants who filled in The National Survey on Drug Use and Health in those years, just over half were female, 77 percent were aged 26 or above, 65 percent were white, 11.9 percent were black, 15.36 percent Hispanic, and 7.3 of another race or ethnicity.

The team looked at data on states where cannabis had been legalized by 2016—Colorado,Washington, Alaska, and Oregon— and noted if and how often respondents used marijuana in the past month, and whether they had cannabis use disorder before and after the laws were enacted.

[link to www.newsweek.com (secure)]



creating a nation of drug addicts, who'd a thunk it.