TY - JOUR
T1 - Does recreational cannabis legalization change cannabis use patterns? Evidence from secondary school students in Uruguay
AU - Rivera-Aguirre, Ariadne
AU - Castillo-Carniglia, Alvaro
AU - Laqueur, Hannah S.
AU - Rudolph, Kara E.
AU - Martins, Silva S.
AU - Ramírez, Jessica
AU - Queirolo, Rosario
AU - Cerdá, Magdalena
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Society for the Study of Addiction.
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - Background and Aims: In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize and regulate the production and distribution of cannabis for recreational use. We measured whether Uruguay's non-commercial model of recreational cannabis legalization was associated with changes in the prevalence of risky and frequent cannabis use among secondary school students. Design: We used data from repeated cross-sectional surveys of secondary students in Uruguay and Chile (2007–2018). Using a difference-in-difference approach, we evaluated changes in the prevalence of past-year, past-month, any risky and frequent cannabis use following enactment (2014) and implementation (2016) of cannabis legalization among the full sample of secondary students and among students who reported past-year/month use. We examined changes separately for students ages 12 to 17, and students for whom cannabis became legally accessible, ages 18 to 21. Setting: Uruguay and Chile (2007–2018). Participants: Secondary school students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade (n = 204 730). Measurements: Past-year and past-month cannabis use; any risky cannabis use measured with the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST); and frequent cannabis use (10+ days in the past-month). Findings: We found a decrease in past-year and past-month use following enactment or implementation. Among students ages 18 to 21, post-enactment, we observed a transitory increase in 2014 that decreased thereafter for: any risky use among those who reported past-year use (prevalence difference [PD] = 13.5%; 95% CI: 2.0, 24.9), frequent use in the full sample (PD = 4.5%; 95% CI: 1.0, 8.1), and frequent use among those who reported past-month use (PD = 16.8%; 95% CI: 1.9, 31.8). Conclusion: The legalization of recreational cannabis in Uruguay was not associated with overall increases in either past-year/past-month cannabis use or with multi-year changes in any risky and frequent cannabis use among young people.
AB - Background and Aims: In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize and regulate the production and distribution of cannabis for recreational use. We measured whether Uruguay's non-commercial model of recreational cannabis legalization was associated with changes in the prevalence of risky and frequent cannabis use among secondary school students. Design: We used data from repeated cross-sectional surveys of secondary students in Uruguay and Chile (2007–2018). Using a difference-in-difference approach, we evaluated changes in the prevalence of past-year, past-month, any risky and frequent cannabis use following enactment (2014) and implementation (2016) of cannabis legalization among the full sample of secondary students and among students who reported past-year/month use. We examined changes separately for students ages 12 to 17, and students for whom cannabis became legally accessible, ages 18 to 21. Setting: Uruguay and Chile (2007–2018). Participants: Secondary school students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade (n = 204 730). Measurements: Past-year and past-month cannabis use; any risky cannabis use measured with the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST); and frequent cannabis use (10+ days in the past-month). Findings: We found a decrease in past-year and past-month use following enactment or implementation. Among students ages 18 to 21, post-enactment, we observed a transitory increase in 2014 that decreased thereafter for: any risky use among those who reported past-year use (prevalence difference [PD] = 13.5%; 95% CI: 2.0, 24.9), frequent use in the full sample (PD = 4.5%; 95% CI: 1.0, 8.1), and frequent use among those who reported past-month use (PD = 16.8%; 95% CI: 1.9, 31.8). Conclusion: The legalization of recreational cannabis in Uruguay was not associated with overall increases in either past-year/past-month cannabis use or with multi-year changes in any risky and frequent cannabis use among young people.
KW - Adolescent, cannabis, frequent cannabis use, legalization, risky cannabis use, youth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131629123&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/add.15913
DO - 10.1111/add.15913
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 35491741
AN - SCOPUS:85131629123
SN - 0965-2140
VL - 117
SP - 2866
EP - 2877
JO - Addiction
JF - Addiction
IS - 11
ER -