Three policy 'bundles' — pharmaceutical, permissive, and fiscal — capture 36 characteristics of state cannabis laws, enabling researchers to measure how policy design variation affects health outcomes.
Cannabis policy researchers, health services researchers, state legislators designing cannabis laws
What the researchers found
Three policy bundles were developed measuring 36 characteristics of state cannabis laws from 1994-2023: pharmaceutical (treating cannabis like a regulated drug), permissive (treating it like an over-the-counter product), and fiscal (revenue-focused). Measures distinguish between policies as adopted versus as implemented.
Why it matters
Most cannabis research treats legalization as binary (legal or not), but states vary enormously in how they design their laws. This measurement tool lets researchers actually study which specific policy features affect health outcomes.
The numbers in context
36 different characteristics measured across 3 bundles (pharmaceutical, permissive, fiscal). Coverage: 1994-2023. Measures available for both adopted and implemented policies. Massachusetts used as demonstration case.
How the study worked
Commentary presenting a policy bundles measurement approach with 36 characteristics of state medical and recreational cannabis laws organized into three conceptual bundles, demonstrated using Massachusetts as a case study.
What this study cannot tell us
Commentary/methodology paper without empirical testing of bundle validity or health outcome associations. Policy coding requires subjective judgment. Implementation measures may lag behind actual practice. 36 characteristics may not capture all relevant variation.
How to read the evidence
Methodological contribution proposing a measurement framework, without empirical validation of its predictive value for health outcomes.
When this study was published
Published 2026, covering US state policies from 1994-2023.
The bigger picture
The difference between 'cannabis is legal' and 'how cannabis is legal' may matter more for public health than the legalization decision itself. This measurement approach could finally enable the research needed to design optimal cannabis policies.
Questions still open
- Which bundle characteristics are most predictive of health outcomes? Do pharmaceutical-style policies produce better health outcomes than permissive ones? How quickly do implemented policies diverge from adopted policies?
Common questions
Are all state cannabis laws the same?
Why does it matter how cannabis laws are designed?
Read the original research
Measuring State Cannabis Policy Design Variation for Research and Policy: A Bundles Approach.
Clinical therapeutics, 48(1), 29-33
Citation
Mallinson, Daniel J; Richardson, Lilliard E. (2026). Measuring State Cannabis Policy Design Variation for Research and Policy: A Bundles Approach.. Clinical therapeutics, 48(1), 29-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2025.07.027