Implications of Medical and Recreational Marijuana Laws for Neuroscience Research: a Review
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ADDICTIONS (M POTENZA AND E DEVITO, SECTION EDITORS)
Implications of Medical and Recreational Marijuana Laws for Neuroscience Research: a Review Deborah S. Hasin 1,2,3
&
Efrat Aharonovich 2,3
Accepted: 8 October 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review Review of US medical and recreational marijuana laws (MML and RML), their effects on cannabis potency, prevalence of non-medical cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) in adolescents and adults, and implications for neuroscience research, given what is known about the relationship of cannabis to neurocognitive impairments and underlying brain functioning. Recent Findings Cannabis potency may be increasing faster in states with MML or RML than in other states. MML and RML have not impacted prevalence in adolescents but have consistently been shown to increase rates of adult non-medical use and CUD. Summary Recent neurocognitive or neuroimaging studies may be more impacted by cannabis than studies conducted when MML and RML were less common. Neurocognitive or neuroimaging studies conducted in MML or RML states should carefully test potential participants for recent cannabis use. More research is needed on cannabis and cognition in medical marijuana patients. Keywords Medical marijuana laws . Recreational marijuana laws . Cannabis use disorder . Neurocognitive impairments . Cannabis potency
Introduction Cannabis has been used in the United States since the 1800s, with public attitudes towards its acceptability and potential harmfulness varying considerably over time [1]. In 1970, only 12% of U.S. adults favored legalizing cannabis use [2], and the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) defined cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance, i.e., no accepted medical use and high abuse potential [3]. Since then, legalization has Support: R01DA048860, the New York State Psychiatric Institute This article is part of the Topical Collection on Addictions * Deborah S. Hasin [email protected] 1
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA
2
New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10032, USA
3
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10032, USA
steadily gained favor and many state marijuana laws have changed and become more permissive. Additionally, public perception of cannabis as a harmful substance has declined substantially among adolescents [4] and adults [5]. Consideration of the potential impact of these changes in laws and attitudes on behavioral neuroscience studies is warranted. In this review, we briefly consider the relationship of cannabis use to key areas of neurocognitive and brain functioning and describe medical and recreational cannabis laws. We then consider how changes in these laws have impacted cannabis potency, cannabis use patterns in adolescents and adults, and the increasing prevalence of people who use medical cannabis. In each of these areas, we consider the implications
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