The findings regarding a possible substitution effect have been echoed in numerous studies.
By Kyle Jaeger
Managing Editor
Marijuana Moment
Another federally funded study is suggesting that marijuana legalization may be linked to a “substitution effect,” with young adults in California “significantly” reducing their use of alcohol and cigarettes after the cannabis reform was enacted.
What’s more, the research appeared to contradict prohibitionist arguments about the potential impact of legalization, as the data also revealed no significant increase in marijuana use among young adults who were still not of age to access retail dispensaries—though there were interesting changes in certain modes of consuming cannabis following the policy change.
The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs last week, involved surveys of people aged 18-20 living in Los Angeles before and after the state implemented adult-use marijuana legalization under a 2016 voter initiative. One cohort of 172 pre-legalization subjects were interviewed between 2014 and 2015, and the other 139 post-legalization subjects were surveyed between 2019 and 2020.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE AT MARIJUANA MOMENT
