Study: Cannabis Access Laws Associated With Reduced Use of Benzodiazepines
Atlanta, GA: The adoption of state laws legalizing marijuana for either medical or adult-use is associated with declines in benzodiazepine prescriptions, according to data published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Researchers affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia assessed the relationship between legalization laws and the dispensing of psychotropic medications used to treat mental health disorders.
“Both medical and recreational cannabis policies were consistently associated with reductions in benzodiazepine dispensing,” investigators determined. Specifically, the implementation of medical cannabis laws was associated with a 12.4 percent reduction in the prescription fill rate per 10,000 patients while adult-use legalization was associated with a 15.2 percent reduction.
Other studies assessing patients’ use of prescription medications following their initiation of medical cannabis have similarly reported decreases in the use of benzodiazepines.
Researchers also acknowledged slight upticks in prescriptions for antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs – a finding that is inconsistent with prior studies. Specifically, a 2022 paper published in the same journal found no association between the adoption of marijuana legalization and overall rates of psychosis-related diagnoses or prescribed antipsychotics.
The study’s authors concluded: “We found that cannabis laws and dispensaries were associated with significant decreases in the dispensing of benzodiazepines in a commercially insured population. … These results have important implications for health outcomes. ... Benzodiazepine use can lead to harmful adverse effects, including respiratory depression, which can be fatal. ... Thus, if patients are, in fact, reducing their benzodiazepine use to manage their anxiety symptoms with cannabis, this may represent a safer treatment option overall.”
They further acknowledged, “Conversely, the positive association found between state cannabis laws and dispensing of antidepressants and antipsychotics is cause for concern, although perhaps unsurprising given the unsettled literature surrounding cannabis use and depression or psychosis. ... Overall, our results suggest that additional research is needed to assess whether changes in dispensing of MHDs [mental health disorder medications] are associated with differences in health care outcomes.”
Full text of the study, “Cannabis laws and utilization of medications for the treatment of mental health disorders,” appears in JAMA Network Open.
Analysis: States Generated Nearly $9 Billion in Cannabis-Related Tax Revenue Since 2021
Washington, DC: States that have legalized the sale of cannabis for either medical or adult-use have collected more than $8.7 billion in marijuana-related taxes since 2021, according to calculations compiled by the federal government.
The analysis includes tax revenue estimates through the second quarter of this year. However, the report’s authors acknowledge that not all states provided up-to-date data -- meaning that the total amount of state taxes collected during this period is likely higher than $8.7 billion.
According to the analysis, California collected $156 million in cannabis taxes during the reporting period, followed by Michigan ($75 million), Illinois ($72 million), Colorado ($61 million), Massachusetts ($50 million) and Arizona ($45 million).
A prior analysis published earlier this year by the Marijuana Policy Project reported that retail sales of adult-use cannabis products have generated more than $20 billion in state tax revenue since 2014.
Tables from the report are available from the US Census Bureau.
Driving Study: Alcohol and Cannabis Have Contrasting Effects on Speed Control
Iowa City, IA: Subjects who operate a vehicle under the influence of cannabis tend to drive more slowly while those under the influence of alcohol tend to increase their speed, according to driving simulator data published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.
Investigators with the University of Iowa assessed simulated freeway driving performance in subjects following their use of cannabis, alcohol, and placebo.
Both cannabis use and alcohol use were associated with increased incidents of weaving, a finding that is consistent with prior studies. Compared to the placebo group, those under the influence of cannabis “spent more time at speeds significantly below the speed limit.” By contrast, those under the influence of alcohol “spent close to 40 percent of their time more than 10 percent above the speed limit.”
Several other studies have similarly reported that drivers under the influence of cannabis tend to exhibit more compensatory driving behaviors, while those under the influence of alcohol tend to drive in a more reckless manner.
The study’s authors concluded: “This comparative analysis sought to assess the effects of cannabis on driving and put them into context by looking at the magnitude of the effects compared to those of alcohol on driving. … “Ultimately, three primary conclusions can be drawn with respect to the effects of acute cannabis use on freeway driving relative to those of alcohol: 1) driving after acute use of cannabis in this population produced impaired lateral control that was similar in magnitude and effect to driving under the influence of alcohol at approximately .05 BAC; 2) the effects on lateral control are not dissimilar to those observed in other driving environments, and 3) driving after acute use of cannabis and alcohol produced opposite effects on speed control, with slower driving following cannabis use and faster driving following alcohol use.”
Full text of the study, “Assessing the impact of cannabis use on freeway driving performance and practices: A comparative analysis with placebo and alcohol-influenced driving,” appears in Traffic Injury Prevention. Additional information on cannabis and driving is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’
Illinois Supreme Court: Marijuana Odor Is Not Probable Cause for a Vehicle Search
Chicago, IL: Justices on the Illinois Supreme Court have ruled that a police officer may not conduct a warrantless search of a motor vehicle based solely upon the smell of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle.
Justices opined that the odor of cannabis “lacks a clear and direct enough connection to illegal activity to make it ‘probable’ that a crime has recently been committed or is being committed” because the possession and use of marijuana is legal in the state. They further acknowledged that the defendant in the case exhibited no signs of marijuana-induced impairment and that the arresting officer failed to identify either cannabis or cannabis paraphernalia in plain view.
They concluded, “We hold that the odor of burnt cannabis is a fact that should be considered when determining whether police have probable cause to search a vehicle, but the odor of burnt cannabis, standing alone without other inculpatory facts, does not provide probable cause to search a vehicle.”
Courts in several other states where cannabis is legal for either medical or adult-use purposes -- including Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Vermont – have similarly determined that the odor of marijuana, absent other evidence of a crime, does not provide probable cause to justify a warrantless search of a motor vehicle.
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