Week in Review: Study Reveals Lower Rates of Cannabis Use Disorder in Legal States

In this week’s cannabis news round-up, a new study reveals legal states have lower rates of cannabis use disorder; legal cannabis sales boost home values in states; and Daysavers and 40 Tons join forces to support cannabis prisoners.

Study: Lower Rates of Cannabis Use Disorder in States with Legalized Cannabis

A new study reveals that states with legalized cannabis have a significantly lower rate of patients diagnosed with Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) in their emergency departments. The research suggests that as the stigma around cannabis use diminishes with continued legalization, medical professionals may become more tolerant, leading to fewer CUD diagnoses among patients seeking emergency care.

The study, recently published in Preventative Medicine Reports, looked at emergency department data spanning from 2017 to 2020 in two states with legalized adult use cannabis (Colorado and Oregon) and two states where cannabis was still prohibited at the time of the review (Maryland and Rhode Island).

The researchers focused on “treat and release” visits, where patients were diagnosed with CUD, indicating problematic cannabis use. They employed a multivariate logistic regression model to analyze a substantial dataset comprising 17,434,655 emergency room visits over the four-year period. The study’s authors anticipated higher rates of CUD in states with adult-use cannabis legalization, as past research suggested that legalization led to slightly increased cannabis use among adults. However, the data reveals precisely the opposite. “Compared to states where adult-use cannabis was illegal, legal states are associated with nearly a 50% decrease in the adjusted odds of CUD,” they conclude.

These findings raise questions about the impact of cannabis legalization on public health and safety. The authors suggest that their results could inform policymaking, indicating that adult-use cannabis laws may not pose significant risks to public health and safety. However, they emphasize the need for further research to explore the relationship between Cannabis Use Disorder and legalization in emergency departments and other care settings.

Legal Cannabis Sales Boost Home Values in States

A recent analysis by Clever Real Estate shows a significant increase in home values in states where cannabis is legal compared to those where it’s not. It reveals that over the past decade, home values in states with adult-use cannabis have surged, outpacing those in non-legal states by an impressive $48,983. Among the top ten states with the largest increases in home values, seven have embraced adult-use cannabis legalization. Conversely, nine of the ten states with the smallest increases in home values haven’t legalized adult-use cannabis.

At the local level, the analysis also challenges the assumption that dispensaries negatively impact property values. It shows that cities in adult-use states with dispensaries have experienced superior home-value growth compared to cities without dispensaries in legal states. Cities in adult-use states with dispensaries have witnessed an impressive $168,292 growth since 2014, which is $67,359 more than the $100,933 growth observed in cities with legal adult-use cannabis but no dispensaries.

These findings align with previous studies linking the presence of legal cannabis businesses to higher home values, underscoring the positive impact of cannabis legalization on real estate markets.

DaySavers and 40 Tons Join Forces to Support Cannabis Prisoners

In an inspiring move to address the injustices faced by individuals incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses, Custom Cones USA’s direct-to-consumer brand, DaySavers, has joined hands with 40 Tons, a socially conscious cannabis consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand. This partnership will kick off with a letter-writing campaign at MJBizCon 2023, the premier annual cannabis industry conference, set to take place from November 28 to December 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The heart of this campaign lies in the belief that receiving letters can provide solace, hope and a sense of connection to the tens of thousands of individuals currently imprisoned for cannabis crimes in the United States. By forging this partnership, DaySavers and 40 Tons aim to remind these prisoners that they aren’t forgotten, and that the cannabis industry stands firmly behind efforts to secure their freedom.

The goal of this campaign is to pen 10,000 postcards during MJBizCon, marking it as the most extensive cannabis awareness and prison letter-writing initiative ever conducted at a cannabis event. Each postcard bears the artwork of Ryan Strauss portraying real-life prisoners incarcerated due to non-violent cannabis-related offenses. Harrison Bard, Co-Founder of Custom Cones USA, expressed his team’s deep honor in partnering with 40 Tons, emphasizing the significance of this campaign’s approach to raising awareness. “The letter-writing campaign at MJBizCon will be the largest of its kind at any cannabis event, and we are proud to support the resolute work of 40 Tons in this endeavour, with more opportunities for consumers to get involved soon to be announced.”

Loriel Alegrete, CEO of 40 Tons, challenged MJBizCon attendees and the entire cannabis industry to “Dare to Care” about those languishing in jail for offenses related to a plant from which the industry reaps immense profits. She stressed 40 Tons’ commitment to spotlighting the industry’s hypocrisy. “Our MJBizCon booth is created to replicate a jail cell itself as part of our unrelenting commitment to calling attention to the hypocrisy of the cannabis industry making billions of dollars while there are still so many people in jail for this plant,” she says.

Corvain Cooper, co-founder and chief brand ambassador for 40 Tons, shared his personal journey from serving a life sentence for a cannabis offense to advocating for change. “It all comes full circle for me. I was sitting in a cell with a life sentence over cannabis until the former president let me out on his final day in office,” he says. “Now I get to show people what it was like. Thank you MJBizCon and Custom Cones USA for helping to spread our message.”

Looking ahead, Custom Cones USA and 40 Tons plan to expand their partnership with the launch of a “Cones for a Cause” collaboration. This initiative will feature a line of charity cones with 40 Tons branding, with a portion of proceeds from each sale benefiting the 40 Tons Foundation. This foundation’s mission is to provide education, resources and career opportunities for BIPOC communities and individuals impacted by the system, beginning with the cannabis industry.