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The impact of recreational cannabis legalization on youth: the Colorado experience

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Abstract

Over the past two decades, cannabis policies have liberalized in the United States, culminating in the legalization of recreational cannabis in Colorado and Washington state in 2012. This review will focus on the impact of recreational cannabis legalization in Colorado. While the prevalence of past-year and past-month cannabis use has remained relatively steady among adolescents post-legalization, the prevalence of young adult use has continued to rise. Cannabis products with increased potency have become more prevalent and widely used. There are concerns that the use of products with increased potency will increase risk for cannabis use and comorbid mental health disorders, particularly cannabis-induced psychosis and suicidal behavior, although more research is needed to fully understand the impact of high-potency products. Since the legalization of recreational cannabis, numerous additional public health concerns have emerged: unintentional overdoses requiring acute care visits, electronic vaping-associated lung injury, increased motor vehicle collisions related to cannabis consumption, and higher rates of cannabis use during pregnancy. Lessons learned from the first decade of cannabis legalization emphasize the need for research efforts to provide evidence-based guidelines, inform prevention strategies, and implement selective interventions for at-risk populations including youth, individuals with comorbid mental health disorders, and individuals who are pregnant.

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Funding

Dr. Hinckley was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) “AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use” (K12DA000357). Dr. Bhatia was supported by a postdoctoral T32 (T32 MH015442). Dr. Hopfer was supported by NIDA grants R01DA042744 and R01DA032555.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Jesse Hinckley, Devika Bhatia, Jarrod Ellingson, Karla Molinero & Christian Hopfer

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  1. Jesse Hinckley
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  2. Devika Bhatia
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Correspondence to Jesse Hinckley.

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Hinckley, J., Bhatia, D., Ellingson, J. et al. The impact of recreational cannabis legalization on youth: the Colorado experience. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 33, 637–650 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01981-0

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