Kaiser Permanente research on nearly 89,000 adolescents in California finds weak rules on retail sales factor into teen cannabis consumption
Teens living in communities in California that permit cannabis stores and have weak retail rules were 22% more likely to report using cannabis in the past year than teens in communities with strong regulations, according to a new study led by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and the Public Health Institute.
The research, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, also showed that teen use was similar in communities with the strongest local rules and in communities that ban cannabis stores outright.
“Protecting young people requires looking beyond individual choices to the communities they live in,” said study co-author Kelly C. Young-Wolff, PhD, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. “Our findings suggest that both the number of cannabis retailers near adolescents’ homes and the strength of local retail and pricing regulations are independently associated with teen cannabis use.”
The study included 89,000 teens living in 173 Northern California cities and counties. Because local laws on cannabis sales differ, the researchers were able to compare teens who lived in communities with varying retail regulations. To assess the strength of local cannabis laws, the investigators used the California Local Cannabis Scorecards developed by Getting it Right from the Start, a program of the Public Health Institute that assesses the strength of local cannabis retail regulations.
“This study provides important new evidence that local policies putting young people’s health first can make a real difference,” said lead author Alisa Padon, PhD, research director at Getting it Right from the Start.”
Read the full story by the Public Health Institute.
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About the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. KPDOR seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 720-plus staff, including 73 research and staff scientists, are working on nearly 630 epidemiological and health services research projects. For more information, visit divisionofresearch.kp.org.
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