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The kids aren’t alright: The effects of medical marijuana market size on adolescents

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  • Smart, Rosanna
  • Doremus, Jacqueline

Abstract

We exploit shocks to US federal enforcement policy to assess how legal medical marijuana market size affects youth marijuana use and consequences for youth traffic-related fatalities. Using hand-collected data on state medical marijuana patient rates to develop a novel measure of market size, we find that legal market growth increases youth marijuana use. Likely mechanisms are lower prices and easier access. Youth die more frequently from alcohol-involved car accidents, suggesting complementarities for youths. The consequences of marijuana legalization for youth are not immediate, but depend on how supply-side regulations affect production and prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Smart, Rosanna & Doremus, Jacqueline, 2023. "The kids aren’t alright: The effects of medical marijuana market size on adolescents," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:87:y:2023:i:c:s0167629622001126
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2022.102700
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marijuana; Cannabis legalization; Risky behavior; Illicit markets; Substitution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General

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