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Marijuana’s Impacts in Colorado: A Policy Memo

June 2021 Dr. David Murray, a Senior Fellow with the Hudson Institute, a “think tank” based in Washington D.C. released a policy memo titled, “The “Colorado Experiment”: Legalized Marijuana’s Impact in Colorado”. This brief, yet informative read, offers insights into what has been called the “Colorado Experiment” referring to the legalization of marijuana in the […]

Marijuana Legalization in the Midwest: The Potential Impact

The purpose of this report is to examine the effects of marijuana legalization in other states in order to provide drug policy experts and law enforcement leaders with potential impacts and consequences for Midwestern states that are contemplating the legalization of “medical” and/or “recreational” marijuana. This report will utilize data and trends from other states […]

THC & Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Adults Age 50+ (Feb 2021)

In the February 2, 2021 edition of Jama Network Open, a study titled, “Evaluation of THC-Related Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older, A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis” (Velayudhan et.al.) was released. While there are numerous studies that examine youth / young adults, marijuana use and adverse mental health issues, this study […]

Drug Threats in America: DEA 2020

March 2021 – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has just released their National Drug Threat Assessment of drugs in American for 2020. This unclassified publication is based in law enforcement intelligence and data from the public health sector. It provides a broad overview of the drugs (illicit and legal) in American society and their connections […]

Impaired Driving in Colorado: 2016 – 2018 (Nov 2020)

In 2017, Colorado passed House Bill 17-1315 which requires the Colorado Department of Public Safety to annually produce a report regarding data associated with impaired driving in the state. One of the requirements was to include data not only for alcohol, but on other drugs to include marijuana. As with all longitudinal data, the more […]

Vaping or Smoking: An Early Look at Impairment

Currently, there is scant policy or guidance when it comes to either smoking or vaping cannabis. Similarly there is no uniform policy as to the potency levels of products available in today’s public market; nor a complete understanding how the two administration methods (smoking v. vaping) can affect the user.  The 2018 study, “Acute Effects […]

THC and Its Effect on Driving

Date: January 22, 2021 The December 1st, 2020 edition of JAMA (Vol. 324, No. 21) released the results of a study into impaired driving from the Netherlands titled, “Effect of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Driving Performance” by T. Arkell (et.al.). The near year-long study examined the effects of vaporized cannabis products on safe driving performance. […]

Marijuana Use and Older Adults

January 19, 2021 With the advent of the legalization of marijuana by some U.S. states, there has been a noted increase in use rates in recent years. One subgroup that has received attention is the use rates in older adults, ages 60 and older. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (January 2021, Vol.69, No1) […]

Marijuana’s Impact on California 2020

In 1996, California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes with the passage of Proposition 215. Now, in 2020, recreational marijuana use is fully legal within California for individuals 21 years of age and over. This report will outline the current and potential impacts of these policies. The purpose of this report […]

Substance Use and COVID Outcome Risks

Psychiatry Online released a study on November 3rd, 2020 concerning the negative impacts that substance use disorders (SUD) has on adults that have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The authors (Baillargeon, J. et.al.) provide information on over 54,000 COVID-19 patients as it relates to the outcomes of (1) hospitalization, (2) ventilator use and (3) death. Within […]