Cannabis commercialisation not decriminalisation drives up usage, study finds
Summary
A study found that making cannabis possession less of a crime or tightly controlling its access does not increase its use or mental health problems. However, when cannabis is sold widely as a commercial product, more people use it and mental health issues linked to the drug rise.Key Facts
- Researchers studied changes in cannabis policies worldwide from 2000 to 2025.
- Commercial sales of cannabis in countries like the US and Canada led to more users and stronger cannabis products.
- Mental health problems, such as psychosis, increased in places with commercial cannabis markets.
- Decriminalisation or strict control, such as in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Uruguay, did not raise cannabis use or related mental illness.
- Uruguay controls its legal cannabis market through pharmacies and clubs, limiting market size and product safety.
- Experts suggest that the growth of profit-driven cannabis industries contributes to higher use and related harms.
- In the UK, cannabis remains a class B drug, but there are calls to reduce penalties and address racial disparities in enforcement.
- The study was published in the medical journal Lancet Psychiatry by an international research team.
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