A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine called for urgent federal action on U.S. cannabis policy, warning that state-level legalization efforts prioritize commercial interests over public health.
The government-sponsored study found that cannabis use has increased in many populations, a result of public perception of risk declining and availability surging. In 2022, more people reported daily or near-daily cannabis use than daily alcohol use.
In addition, the THC concentration in products, which researchers identified as one of the greatest public health issues related to cannabis, has markedly increased as well. And this is where policy often falls short.
“Cannabis policy often focuses on regulating sales and revenue first, and protecting public health second,” said Steven Teutsch, chair of the committee behind the report and senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.
Setting standards
The vast majority of U.S. states have legalized cannabis for adult or medical use, and because of the continued federal illegality and lack of interstate commerce options, the industry has evolved under a patchwork of regulations.
Despite that, the report says the federal government “could assist those states that have chosen to legalize.”
Specifically, the study said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should draw on existing tobacco and alcohol policies to develop best practices for protecting public health in states with legal cannabis, including “marketing restrictions, age restrictions, physical retail and retail operating restrictions, taxation, price restrictions, product design, and measures to limit youth access.”
The recommendations also call on state cannabis regulators to adopt and enforce the quality standards being developed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia to ensure product safety.
“Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s best practices have been developed, they should be incorporated into the model legislation,” the report says.
The study also addresses the hemp industry and recommends that Congress refine the definition of the plant to close loopholes that have led to “a booming industry … for largely unregulated hemp-derived products, which competes with legal cannabis markets.”
The committee suggested a definition that clearly states that no form of tetrahydrocannabinol or semisynthetic cannabinoid derived from hemp is exempt from the Controlled Substances Act.
Establishing safeguards
“A federal public health campaign targeting those most at risk of the negative impacts of cannabis would go a long way toward supporting public health,” said Yasmin Hurd, the committee’s vice chair and director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.
At the same time, the study points to a lack of safeguards against lobbying and raises concerns about “revolving-door practices” and financial entanglements between regulators and the industry in some states. Researchers cited examples where lobbying efforts in Washington state and Colorado blocked attempts to limit THC concentration and restrict pesticide use.
Economist Boyoung Seo, who has studied cannabis markets in Colorado and Washington, recently told Green Market Report that states face a complex balancing act between generating revenue and mitigating negative societal effects.
“The fact that each state has different regulatory entities or authorities that govern the marijuana market probably also shaped how marijuana is regulated,” Seo said.
Because of the vast differences between state markets, the report noted that the CDC should undertake efforts to track the impacts of state legalization. The committee suggested that creation of a public health surveillance system to monitor cannabis sales, use patterns and health impacts. It also emphasized the need for more research into cannabis and more support from federal agencies to assess how state and local cannabis regulations influence public health outcomes and health equity.
The report was sponsored by several federal health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
A federal report outlines recommendations to minimize societal harms and inform cannabis policy research over the next five years. Read More