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American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022, 10(4), 154-162
DOI: 10.12691/AJPHR-10-4-4
Case Study

The Impact of Cancer Cases, Marijuana possession Arrests, and Opioid Deaths on Cannabis Policies in the United States: A Logistic Regression Study

Virginia C. Hughes1,

1Department of Medical and Molecular Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, USA

Pub. Date: September 14, 2022
Full Text PDF

Cite this paper

Virginia C. Hughes. The Impact of Cancer Cases, Marijuana possession Arrests, and Opioid Deaths on Cannabis Policies in the United States: A Logistic Regression Study. American Journal of Public Health Research. 2022; 10(4):154-162. doi: 10.12691/AJPHR-10-4-4

Abstract

Recreational cannabis is currently legal in nineteen states and the District of Columbia. The history of each states pathway for passing laws codifying fully legal status varies greatly across the United States. A study was conducted with the aim of identifying factors that significantly impact a states fully legal status on cannabis employing a logistic regression design. Independent factors analyzed included the marijuana possession arrest rate (MPAR), new cancer cases, and opioid overdose rate. All data were from 2010 to assess if these factors impacted passage of laws approving recreational cannabis, as all such laws were passed after 2010. The dependent variable was dichotomous toward fully legal status or not fully legal status in states. Results showed statistically significance with the MPAR variable (P<.05). The opioid over dose rate and cancer cases did not yield statistically significant results. Consistent with the federalist system, select state legislatures have made the decision to pass laws regarding recreational cannabis propelled by public support when cannabis is still illegal under federal law. This paper delineates both recreational cannabis and medical cannabis laws, and provides salient discussion on variables analyzed and ideas for future policy studies.

Keywords

recreational cannabis, decriminalization, medical marijuana

Copyright

Creative CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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