With medical marijuana legalized in 36 states and recreationally approved in 18, worries about the effects of widespread societal access to cannabis have become the driving force behind a majority of scientific research. A large portion of that scientific research has now been compiled in a meta-analysis of 36 papers released between 2013 and 2021. These studies show how legalizing cannabis has had a positive impact on society in significant ways.
Researchers who studied the societal effects of legalizing marijuana discovered that it reduced rates of teen cannabis use, binge drinking, suicide and traffic fatalities.
One main concern has come from conservative politicians and parents who believe that legalizing would result in a rise in teen marijuana use. This criticism perfectly illustrates the idea advanced by author Jonathan Haidt in his seminal book, “The Righteous Mind.” According to the book, most people form their opinions by first coming to an emotional conclusion, such as teenage cannabis use is bad, and then working backward through ad hoc justification to find whatever intuitive reasoning is required to support their instinct.
It would seem reasonable to assume that cannabis use would increase if it were legal, but this isn’t the case. In actuality, the landmark paper revealed that teenagers’ access to marijuana declined by 8% while teenage use decreased by 9% due to legalization. The cause was thought to be that fewer teenagers were able to access the substance once dispensaries replaced drug dealers; the legal requirement to check a buyer’s ID when purchasing cannabis also likely impacted the numbers.
In another study, it was discovered that legalizing cannabis had a negative impact on opioid overdose deaths from 1999 to 2010, but the effect diminished once the years 2011 to 2017 were taken into account. This was thought to be an indication of how the opioid epidemic has evolved, based on the idea that cannabis and prescription painkillers might be substitutes for opioids, but heroin and cannabis are not.
However, this isn’t the only study to establish a link between the legalization of cannabis and a decline in opioid overdoses. Two additional studies found the same thing, with the second finding a drop from 21% to 16% in 2019 and 2020.
Another study found that legalizing cannabis discourages and reduces the use of alcohol, particularly binge drinking. The decline in alcohol consumption may have also significantly reduced the number of road accidents.
Last but not least, marijuana legalization was also associated with lower rates of male suicide across the nation, with an 11% decrease in those 20 to 29 years of age and a 9% decrease in those 30 to 39 years of age.
As all these benefits are being documented, a strong ancillary industry made up of entities such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) is thriving due to the market they have carved out for themselves among marijuana industry actors.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX
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