Monday, September 30, 2024
"Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity"
The title of this post is the title of this big new report released last week by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). I had the great honor of serving on the committee that helped produce this report, which is partially summarized in this press release. Here are excerpts from the press release:
The federal government should provide policy guidance to states that have legalized cannabis, close regulatory loopholes on intoxicating products derived from hemp, and create a public health campaign aimed at parents and vulnerable populations, among other measures that would protect public health and reduce the harms of rising cannabis use, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine....Among states that have legalized cannabis, policies aimed at protecting public health vary widely, the report finds. For example, while all of the states have minimum age requirements for cannabis use, not all have mechanisms in place for enforcement through randomized checks, as they would for alcohol or tobacco sales.The potential harms of cannabis use include increased risk of car collisions, development of schizophrenia or psychosis, respiratory symptoms including chronic bronchitis, and lower birthweight from prenatal exposure. Secondhand smoke from cannabis can also carry risks, as can accidental ingestion or poisoning. Research points to specific groups that may be especially vulnerable to harm — including those over 65, pregnant women, and children. While this report does not explore the health impacts of cannabis on individuals, a 2017 National Academies report includes detailed findings on health impacts.“There is an urgent need for a coordinated public health approach to cannabis policy in the U.S.,” said Steven Teutsch, chair of the committee that wrote the report and senior fellow at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California. “Our report shows that cannabis policy often focuses on regulating sales and revenue first, and protecting public health second. Now is the time for the federal government to create guidance for states that have legalized cannabis in the interest of protecting the public’s health.”“A federal public education campaign targeting those most at risk of the negative impacts of cannabis — kids, teens, pregnant people, and those over 65 — would go a long way toward supporting public health,” said Yasmin Hurd, the committee’s vice chair, Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience, and director of the Addiction Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai. “Accurate information about reducing the risks of cannabis use can help people make the best decisions for their own health.”
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/marijuana_law/2024/09/cannabis-policy-impacts-public-health-and-health-equity.html