Marijuana is among the most widely used psychoactive substances in the United States (U.S.)(Cerdá, Wall, Keyes, Galea, & Hasin, 2012; Louisa Degenhardt, Hall, & Lynskey, 2001). The rate of use will continue to increase with legalization across the country; with many using it for it its relief of pain caused by medical conditions, such as HIV (Bedi et al., 2010), and for its antidepressant and anxiolytic effects (Walsh et al., 2017). Nonetheless, there have been substantial research examining the association between marijuana use and mental health and cognition. Substance use, such as marijuana use is a serious health problem in the U.S. and contributes to more morbidity and mortality than any other preventable health disorder. (SAMHSA, January
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In 2012 Colorado and Washington were the first states to pass initiatives where marijuana is not only legal to possess for nonmedical purposes, but also allow for-profit firms to supply the market. Since then, several bills to legalize marijuana have been introduced in overall eight states as well as the district of Colombia. ((NCSL), 2018; Ghosh et al., 2016) Based on the recent patterns states have followed in the past years, we will likely see more ballot initiatives in future elections. Understanding the heterogeneity of these laws among states is crucial, since specific modes of regulation can differentially influence perceptions of risk and attitudes towards marijuana …show more content…
The answer lies in five decades worth of citizen support through lobbying, activism, and ballot initiatives. Specifically, the movement that directly brought about medical marijuana began in the 1980s. The path to medical marijuana was paved by gay activists fighting for the lives of AIDS patients (Dufton, 2017). Marijuana was found to be a pain reliever for does battling HIV/AIDS, and as such the decriminalization movement began to be seen as a sympathetic cause (Dufton, 2017). The number of individuals requesting medical marijuana skyrocketed in the early 1980s in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Naturally, people were looking for a solution and it quickly became known that weed could assist with the severe side effects that these individuals were experiencing. With 10 years of work in San Francisco, gay and AIDS activists, were able to create medical marijuana legislation that was eventually passed in 1991. A year after the first-ever dispensary was opened, and shortly after, in 1996, further lobbying and activism lead to the opening of the first marijuana program in the country. Because of the work of gay and AIDS rights activists, additional states developed their own medical marijuana programs shortly
In 2012 Colorado and Washington were the first states to pass initiatives where marijuana is not only legal to possess for nonmedical purposes, but also allow for-profit firms to supply the market. Since then, several bills to legalize marijuana have been introduced in overall eight states as well as the district of Colombia. ((NCSL), 2018; Ghosh et al., 2016) Based on the recent patterns states have followed in the past years, we will likely see more ballot initiatives in future elections. Understanding the heterogeneity of these laws among states is crucial, since specific modes of regulation can differentially influence perceptions of risk and attitudes towards marijuana …show more content…
The answer lies in five decades worth of citizen support through lobbying, activism, and ballot initiatives. Specifically, the movement that directly brought about medical marijuana began in the 1980s. The path to medical marijuana was paved by gay activists fighting for the lives of AIDS patients (Dufton, 2017). Marijuana was found to be a pain reliever for does battling HIV/AIDS, and as such the decriminalization movement began to be seen as a sympathetic cause (Dufton, 2017). The number of individuals requesting medical marijuana skyrocketed in the early 1980s in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Naturally, people were looking for a solution and it quickly became known that weed could assist with the severe side effects that these individuals were experiencing. With 10 years of work in San Francisco, gay and AIDS activists, were able to create medical marijuana legislation that was eventually passed in 1991. A year after the first-ever dispensary was opened, and shortly after, in 1996, further lobbying and activism lead to the opening of the first marijuana program in the country. Because of the work of gay and AIDS rights activists, additional states developed their own medical marijuana programs shortly