Access To Legal Marijuana Shops Is Linked To Reduced Heavy Alcohol Drinking, Federally Funded Study Finds

Numerous studies have linked state-level marijuana legalization to reduced
alcohol use, but new federally funded research conducted by state officials
in Oregon is shedding light on how access to cannabis retailers
specifically is an important factor underlying the trend.

Researchers at Oregon State University and the Oregon Public Health
Division sought to further investigate the association, analyzing data on
rates of marijuana use and heavy alcohol consumption in areas of the state
with varying levels of retail access from January 2014 to December 2022.

The research paper, published in the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine this month, found that “odds of heavy alcohol use were lower with
greater cannabis retail access, primarily among 21-24 and 65+ year
olds”—”consistent with a substitution hypothesis” where people choose
marijuana instead of drinking.

That’s consistent with a significant body of studies and surveys indicating
that marijuana is increasingly being used as a substitute for alcohol,
particularly in states where the plant is legally available.

The study, which was partially funded by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA), also showed that adults who lived in areas with readily
available access to marijuana dispensaries were more likely to report
past-month cannabis use than in the pre-market era.

“Odds of frequent cannabis use also increased with greater retail access,”
the authors wrote, adding that the association was true of each adult age
demographic except those 18-20, who are age-gated from buying marijuana for
adult use.

“Research on the mechanisms by which retail density and proximity effects
occur for early to middle aged adults would inform state and local policies
aimed at preventing cannabis misuse,” the authors said. “For older (65+
years) adults the net public health impacts of retail access-related
increases in cannabis use are less clear given the associated decreases in
their heavy alcohol use.”

While there’s been much research focusing on marijuana use trends among
youth in states with and without regulated cannabis markets, this study
“considered the implications that cannabis retail availability may have for
early, middle, and older adults.”

“Early adulthood is a critical developmental period in which to study
substance use and misuse, and therefore cannabis policy effects,” the
researchers said.

The study, which is based on data extracted from the state’s the Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), involved 61,581 people who
participated in surveys on their alcohol use and a subset of 38,243 people
who shared information about their cannabis consumption.

“Greater access to retail cannabis is a modifiable community-level risk
factor for cannabis use and frequent use across subgroups of Oregon adults
ages 21 years and older,” the study says. “Retail access can be regulated
through an array of approaches and enacted at any level of government.”

With respect to the alcohol consumption trends observed in the study, the
findings seem to comport with a poll released earlier this month that found a
majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option”
than alcohol—and most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states
within the next five years.

Last month, another poll showed that a majority of Americans don’t consider
marijuana dangerous, though most do think consuming cannabis increases the
likelihood that people will transition to using more dangerous drugs.

The post Access To Legal Marijuana Shops Is Linked To Reduced Heavy Alcohol
Drinking, Federally Funded Study Finds appeared first on Marijuana Moment.