Recreational cannabis legalization altered the associations between cannabis use, perceived risk of harm, and treatment for cannabis use disorder among adolescents and young adults.
Public health officials, prevention program developers, cannabis policymakers, and youth health researchers.
Changed associationsLegalization altered relationships between risk perception, use, and treatment among youth
What the researchers found
After recreational legalization, the relationships between risk perception, cannabis use, and CUD treatment changed, with potential implications for how young people evaluate cannabis harm and seek treatment.
Why it matters
If legalization changes how young people perceive cannabis risk and relate to treatment, public health responses must adapt to this new landscape rather than relying on pre-legalization approaches.
The numbers in context
The study investigated changes in associations among adolescent and young adult perception of risk, cannabis use, and CUD treatment following recreational legalization.
How the study worked
Policy analysis examining changes in associations between risk perception, cannabis use, and CUD treatment before and after recreational legalization.
Who was studied
Adolescents and young adults in states before and after recreational cannabis legalization.
What this study cannot tell us
Ecological analysis cannot determine individual-level causal pathways; risk perception measurement may vary across surveys; concurrent cultural changes may confound legalization effects.
How to read the evidence
Policy analysis examining association changes; provides population-level evidence of shifting relationships.
When this study was published
Recent analysis of legalization effects on youth cannabis perceptions and treatment patterns.
The bigger picture
This companion study to RTHC-04771 provides additional evidence that legalization fundamentally changes the cannabis landscape for young people, requiring adapted public health and treatment responses.
Replication
Companion to RTHC-04771; consistent with broader literature on legalization and risk perception.
Funding
Not specified
Conflicts of interest
Not specified
Questions still open
- Does lower risk perception translate to higher use rates?
- How can harm reduction messaging counter decreased risk perception?
- Should treatment approaches change post-legalization?
Read the original research
Recreational cannabis legalization alters associations among cannabis use, perception of risk, and cannabis use disorder treatment for adolescents and young adults.
Addictive behaviors, 138, 107552
Citation
Mennis, Jeremy; McKeon, Thomas P; Stahler, Gerald J. (2023). Recreational cannabis legalization alters associations among cannabis use, perception of risk, and cannabis use disorder treatment for adolescents and young adults.. Addictive behaviors, 138, 107552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107552