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Washington, DC: One half of all Americans ages 18 and older acknowledge having tried cannabis, according to survey data compiled by Gallup.

Fifty percent of respondents said that they had consumed cannabis – up from approximately one-in-three Americans two decades ago. Seventeen percent of respondents identified themselves as current marijuana smokers, up from seven percent a decade ago.

Young adult respondents (those between the ages of 18 and 34) and those who identified as Democrats were most likely to acknowledge having had prior experience with cannabis. Men (19 percent) were more likely than women (14 percent) to identify as current marijuana consumers.

Gallup’s polling is consistent with those of other surveys. For example, data compiled in 2022 by YouGov.com reported that 52 percent of US adults have tried marijuana at least once during their lifetimes. Survey data compiled by the US government in 2021 estimated that 46 percent of people age 12 or older have used the substance.

Prior polling by Gallup reports that 70 percent of Americans perceive smoking marijuana to be morally acceptable, and 68 percent say that its use should be legal for adults.

Detailed poll results are available from Gallup.

Analysis: Health Care Insurance Premiums Decline Following Adoption of Medical Cannabis Legalization

Bowling Green, OH: Medical cannabis legalization is associated with reductions in the average cost of individual health care premiums, according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.

A team of researchers affiliated with Bowling Green State University in Ohio and Illinois State University assessed the impact of state-specific medical cannabis legalization laws on individual health insurance premiums. Investigators compared trends in premium costs in states with and without legalization over an eleven-year period (2010 to 2021).

They reported that prices for individual premiums fell in medical cannabis states as compared to jurisdictions where marijuana is illegal. “Initial concerns about medical cannabis legalization leading to increases in medical care costs, which would be reflected in higher insurance premiums, appear to be unfounded,” authors determined. “Starting seven years after MCL [medical cannabis legalization] implementation, we estimate a sizeable and statistically significant reduction in annual per-enrollee premiums of about $1600.”

The study’s authors further estimated, “If MCLs were enacted nationally, conservatively, we expect to see a savings of at least $16.8 billion.”

Investigators concluded: “In this study, we provide evidence of a statistically significant reduction in individual market premiums starting seven years after the implementation of medicinal cannabis laws. Because of the pooled nature of insurance, the lower premiums benefit cannabis users and non-users alike in medical cannabis states. Our results are important as health care expenses, including health insurance premiums, have been growing faster than inflation and comprise an increasing share of a household’s budget.”

The study’s findings are consistent with prior analyses showing that medical cannabis implementation is associated with a reduction in Medicaid costs. Other studies have shown that legalizing medical marijuana access is associated with significant reductions in patients’ use of opioids and other prescription medications.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis laws lower individual market health insurance premiums,” appears in the International Journal of Drug Policy.

Analysis: Marijuana Use Not Associated with Elevated Risk of Heart Attack

San Diego, CA: A history of cannabis use within the past year is not associated with an increased risk of heart attack among middle-aged adults, according to data published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Compared to non-users, current consumers of cannabis (those who had used marijuana monthly for the past year) did not possess a higher risk of heart attack after researchers adjusted potential confounders (e.g., physical activity, BMI, alcohol and cigarette use). Those who reported consistent monthly cannabis use for the past decade also possessed no greater risk.

By contrast, researchers did identify an increased risk among a portion of former consumers who had recently ceased using cannabis. Investigators called this latter finding “unexpected.”

Authors concluded: “In a representative sample of middle-aged US adults, a history of monthly cannabis use for more than a year before a myocardial infarction was not linked to a subsequent physician-diagnosed MI, after accounting for cardiovascular risk factors. However, when considering recent use, the odds were three times greater if no use was reported in the past month. The length of monthly use before the MI, including use >10 years, also showed no association. The evidence base for cardiovascular harms is conflicting and limited by the ability to accurately quantify use, especially the method of use, dose, and potency. Given the expanding access to cannabis products in the United States and around the world, more research, particularly longitudinal and experimental studies, is needed.”

Cannabinoids have long been known to influence cardiovascular function, though data regarding the degree of these effects are inconsistent. According to the results of a 2021 literature review of 67 studies published in the American Journal of Medicine, “[M]arijuana itself does not appear to be independently associated with excessive cardiovascular risk factors,” although authors did caution that “it can be associated with other unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol use and tobacco smoking that can be detrimental” to cardiovascular health.

Full text of the study, “Associations between monthly cannabis use and myocardial infarction in middle-aged adults: NHANES 2009 to 2018,” appears in the American Journal of Cardiology.

New Hampshire: Governor Signs Law Establishing Marijuana Legalization Study Group, Expanding Medical Access for Pain Patients

Concord, NH: Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has signed legislation (House Bill 611) into law expanding medical cannabis access and creating an adult-use legalization task force.

The new law removes the requirement that those in severe pain may only access medical cannabis products as a treatment of last resort. Approximately 20,000 residents are registered in the state’s medical marijuana access program.

Separate provisions in the law establish an 18-member commission to study the feasibility of regulating adult-use cannabis sales in state-owned stores.

State law mandates that retail sales of wine and spirits take place exclusively in state-owned (a/k/a ABC) outlets. In May, Gov. Sununu for the first time voiced his support for the creation of a similar regulatory framework to govern the distribution of cannabis products to adults. The Governor had previously been an outspoken critic of legalization.

In accordance with the new law, “The commission shall issue a final report of its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate clerk, the house clerk, [and] the governor” prior to December 1, 2023.

Statewide polling compiled by the University of New Hampshire in May reported that 60 percent of residents favor the sale of adult-use marijuana products in state-operated stores.