Teen Usage
Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use by D. Mark Anderson, Benjamin Hansen, Daniel I. Rees (May 2012) Using data from the national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 and the Treatment Episode Data Set, this study finds that legalization does NOT lead to increased use among teenagers.
Study: Alcohol, Drug Use Down at Aspen High School by Jeanne McGovern, Aspen Times (May 2012) Alcohol and drug use by Aspen High School students has gone down considerably over the past four years, a trend that has school officials optimistic about the future.
Study Shows Marijuana Use Declining in Every Generation Since the 1960s by David Leffler, The Daily Texan (January 2012) A recent U.S. government study has revealed a decrease in the use of marijuana and cocaine, in every generation since the 1960s, along with a large increase in the abuse of prescription medication by young people.
Analysis of MMJ Laws' Effect on Teen Use Shows No Change or Decline by Dr. Seth Ammerman, MD (Winter 2011, Starts on Page 11) Data shows that in every state with legal Medical Marijuana, teen usage has seen no change or declined significantly.
Study Shows Legalizing Medical Marijuana Does Not Increase Use Among Youth by ScienceDaily (November 2011) "Our study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to Rhode Island's 2006 legalization of medical marijuana..."
The CDC affirms youth marijuana usage in CO has dropped 3% from 2009 to 2011
Crime Reduction
Study: Association Between Crime and Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Results: Density of medical marijuana dispensaries was not associated with violent or property crime rates.
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Not Linked to Neighborhood Crime by USNews (June 2012) Study finds that neighborhoods with medical marijuana dispensaries were no more likely to have crime than other neighborhoods.
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries' Effect on Crime Unclear � by John Ingold and Nancy Lofholm, Denver Post (January 2011) So far there is no statistical evidence that medical-marijuana businesses have made neighborhoods less safe overall. In fact, a Denver police analysis completed late last year of areas around dispensaries showed that the number of crimes actually dropped.
PTSD as a Qualifying Condition
Medical Cannabis as Treatment for Chronic Combat PTSD by Mordechai Mashiah, MD, MHA. (April 2012) The efficacy of currently available medications in the treatment of chronic combat PTSD is variable, with some patients not achieving remission. This study was designed to test the effects of smoking cannabis on symptoms of chronic combat PTSD, and found use of medical cannabis associated with a reduction in PTSD symptoms.
Schedule 1 Status
Marijuana Doesn’t Belong On Schedule 1
See the list of medical professional associations that don’t support the current classification
Controlled Substances Act
DUID- Press Articles
Legalizing medical marijuana could reduce traffic fatalities by Robert Gonzales (December 2011) In the most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted, the Institute for the Study of Labor has revealed in a provisional discussion paper that the legalization of medical marijuana in the United States is linked to a dramatic decrease in traffic fatalities.
DUID- Research Studies
Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption by D. Mark Anderson, Daniel I. Rees (November 2011) Using state-level data, this study tested the relationship between medical marijuana laws and a variety of outcomes. Legalization of medical marijuana is associated with increased use of marijuana among� adults, but not among minors. In addition, legalization is associated with a nearly 9 percent decrease in traffic fatalities, most likely to due to its impact on alcohol consumption. Researchers' estimates provide strong evidence that marijuana and alcohol are substitutes.
Medical Marijuana Research
Medical Marijuana: Clearing Away the Smoke
In this study, Dr. Igor Grant, one of the leading U.S. medical marijuana experts shows that marijuana’s schedule 1 classification is not tenable because marijuana has medical value.
Medical Marijuana Case on Therapeutic Value, Rescheduling to be Heard in Federal Court
Medical marijuana advocates will get their day in court later this year, when they argue the therapeutic value of cannabis in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The court agreed late last week to hear oral arguments in Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, a case that could have major implications for the rescheduling of marijuana out of Schedule I, a category that also includes heroin and LSD.
Suicides
High on Life? Medical Marijuana Laws and Suicides
This study documents data indicating that medical marijuana laws are associated with an average 5% reduction in the total suicide rate.