Legal Marijuana Access Reduces Suicide Rates For Older Adults, New Study Suggests

States that opened recreational marijuana dispensaries saw suicide rates
decline among older adults, according to a new scientific analysis of more
than two decades of nationwide data. Correlating state legalization to the
decline, the researchers note a “modest yet statistically significant
reduction” in states with legal access to cannabis.

The research, conducted by a team of public health economists, examined
monthly suicide counts from U.S. states between 2000 and 2022. Their aim
was to better understand whether easier access to marijuana, specifically
through licensed retail stores, might have any measurable effect on mental
health outcomes. Their working paper, published by the National Bureau of
Economic Research, shows that may be the case.

The study found that in states where recreational cannabis dispensaries
began operating, suicide rates among adults ages 45 and older declined. The
effect was strongest among men, who historically have had significantly
higher suicide rates and are more likely to use cannabis to manage chronic
pain, a health challenge that increases the risk of suicide.

“Given that older adults are more prone to chronic pain and various
physical and mental health issues, it is not surprising that this
demographic is increasingly turning to marijuana for its medicinal
properties,” the paper noted.

The researchers found no similar pattern among younger adults or in states
that legalized recreational cannabis but had not yet opened retail stores.
That distinction, they say, suggests that actual access to marijuana,
rather than legalization via state law changes alone, may be the more
influential factor.

“We find that suicide rates among older age groups decline following the
opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries.”

The researchers did not find evidence that cannabis availability increased
suicides, a concern raised by opponents who have claimed that legalization
leads to rising rates of cannabis use and worsening mental health trends
among young people.

The authors also address the risk factors for suicide and the therapeutic
benefits of cannabis in addressing those underlying factors. “The focus on
pain as an underlying cause of suicide is under recognized in the
literature and adds an important dimension to the policy discussion,” they
wrote.

The study also arrives at a time when suicide rates in the U.S. remain near
historic highs, especially among middle-aged and older adults. Though the
decline associated with dispensary openings was modest, the authors argue
that even small improvements deserve attention.

The paper, which was not peer reviewed, was authored by Dr. Sara Markowitz
of Emory University and Katie E. Leinenbach of Demand Side Analytics.

“Although further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms
driving these effects, these results point to one potential benefit of
legalized recreational marijuana,” they wrote.

“These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the public
health impacts of marijuana legalization, offering evidence that
recreational dispensary openings may play a role in reducing suicides among
older adults, particularly in vulnerable subgroups,” the paper concludes.

To account for variables aside from state marijuana legalization, the
authors also explored—and dismissed—other potential causes. Their models
factored in “the real beer tax, real cigarette tax and three opioid-centric
policies: initial prescription limits, pill mill laws and prescription drug
monitoring programs,” they wrote.

The study comes as more robust research is being conducted related to
cannabis legalization and older adults.

Earlier this year, scientists found that marijuana users have “superior
performance across multiple cognitive domains,” according to a new
large-scale study funded by the U.S. federal government, with the effects
of cannabis on cognition “presented concurrently across a range of brain
systems” and was based on data from 37,929 participants in the United
Kingdom aged between 44 and 81 years old. The team found that cannabis
consumers consistently outperformed non-users on a range of cognitive
tests—suggesting that marijuana use may be linked to brain network patterns
typically observed in younger individuals.

This new study also comes on the heels of a study of more than 5,000 men
whom researchers evaluated over the course of 44 years, finding that “no
significant harmful effects of cannabis use on age-related cognitive
decline.” In fact, the report says, “Men with a history of cannabis use had
less cognitive decline from early adulthood to midlife compared to men
without a history of cannabis use.”

*Photo courtesy of Max Jackson.*

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Study Suggests appeared first on Marijuana Moment.