Health and Safety Consequences of Citizen-Initiated Ballot Measures

Jarad, Khaled

Student Work

Health and Safety Consequences of Citizen-Initiated Ballot Measures

Público Deposited

In 2023, 38 States, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized medicinal marijuana; 21 States, 3 territories, and D.C. have also legalized recreational use. This is largely due to its medicinal properties in alleviating chronic pain and symptoms of severe psychological conditions and or disabilities. In addition, marijuana has been legalized for recreational uses due to its relaxing, stress relieving, and euphoric psychoactive effects. Marijuana's increased popularity has resulted in massive economic growth for the North American Cannabis industry. In 2022 the market grew to a $15.2 billion valuation. While many cannabis consumers utilize traditional combustible products, the increased prevalence of dispensaries and marijuana products all over the United States has drawn in millions of first-time cannabis users. Many of these are nonsmokers pursuing discrete non-combustible cannabis products such as edibles. To address these demands the cannabis industry has seen major innovation in the potency and form of edible cannabis products. The development of psychoactive ingredients such as cannabutter and canna oil has made it possible to turn virtually any item into an edible cannabis product. While the establishment of thousands of dispensaries in the United States has had a very positive impact on the American economy, the impacts on public health have yet to be considered. The purpose of this study is to investigate and quantify some of the most common psychological and physiological adverse effects of marijuana legalization in the United States. My approach to assessing this is by segmenting the United States into regions and utilizing metrics that display the unintended impacts some of these adverse effects may have on the general public. These effects were measured by analyzing trends in Motor Vehicle Fatalities and Cannabis Induced Hospital Discharges in both adolescents aged 12-17 and adults aged 18+.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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