Do Medical Marijuana Laws Increase Marijuana Use?

Over the last 25 years, the recreational use of cannabis (marijuana) among adults has steadily increased. And that’s not all.

During the same time, there has also been a steady increase in the number of adults being diagnosed with cannabis use disorders.

To date, 39 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories have enacted medical marijuana laws. So, the question is this. Do these laws increase illegal adult cannabis use or cannabis use disorders?

Many assume that the answer is a definite yes. So a team of researchers set out to discover the facts.

To conduct the study, the researchers utilized data from three distinct cross-sectional U.S. adult surveys. They used the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Here’s what they found out.

Overall, from 1991 to 2013, illicit cannabis use increased across the board. And yes, it increased more in states with medical marijuana laws than in those without the laws. But here’s the thing. The increase was minuscule, less than 1.5%. Along with the increase in use, there was also an increase in the diagnosis of cannabis use disorders. But once again, the increase was minimal, 0.7%. So, is it worth it? Is the extremely small increase in illegal recreational cannabis use enough to be concerned about medical marijuana laws? In my opinion, no way! Here’s why.

I recently attended a conference on integrative oncology where I presented a paper on the use of high-dose melatonin in cancer therapy. The last presentation featured a case study of a 77-year-old dentist who was diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer. The cancer was a glioblastoma. According to conventional wisdom, this diagnosis is 100% fatal. In other words, even the best conventional cancer clinics in America cannot successfully treat this cancer. The patient was treated with surgery and radiation, and after several months was sent home with an estimated two weeks to live.

At that time, his daughter started giving him small doses of cannabis oil. Within a few days, he perked up and began eating. As he improved, she gradually increased the dose. That was five years ago! He is now almost fully functional, and his scans show no evidence of cancer anywhere. And the only treatment he had was cannabis oil. A miracle? I think not. You might remember that I have a patient who also had an incurable brain tumor, who had a similar complete recovery. Here’s why cases like this are so important.

Remember these people the next time you think about medical marijuana laws for your state. Fortunately, both of these patients were in states where it is legal. Had they not been, they would have died. It’s a very sad situation for those who live in states that continue to outlaw the medical use of cannabis. And, as you can see from this study, the risk of these laws contributing to illegal marijuana use is exceedingly minimal. There’s no real downside, and for some people, it’s a matter of life and death.

Yours for better health,

Frank Shallenberger, MD