Texas A&M researchers analyzed data from a nationwide health behaviors survey covering a 20-year period to investigate how medical marijuana laws and dispensaries affect self-reported health.
Over the past two decades, 29 states have enacted laws allowing medical marijuana use. During that span, researchers have investigated the potential health effects—both positive and negative—of medical marijuana laws (MML).
Studies have found varying degrees of improvements to self-reported health and other benefits along with little evidence of harm. Additionally, research has documented the importance of legally protected medical marijuana dispensaries in enabling access; however, the specific impacts of dispensaries on self-reported health are somewhat unclear.
To gain a clearer picture of the effects of dispensaries, Elena Andreyeva, PhD, and Benjamin Ukert, PhD, both assistant professors in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, analyzed data from a nationwide health behaviors survey covering a 20-year period of changing MMLs. Their study, published in the journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy, analyzed the effect of MMLs on self-reported health, separately measured effects for MMLs that provide for dispensaries and those that do not, investigated potential changes to risky behaviors such as smoking and heavy drinking and further broke down the various effects based on characteristics such as race, age and chronic pain status.
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