“Although cannabis is an illegal drug, ‘medical marijuana programs’ (MMPs) have proliferated (e.g., in Canada and several US states), allowing for legal cannabis use for therapeutic purposes.
While both health risks and potential therapeutic for cannabis use have been documented, potential public health impacts of MMPs – also vis-à-vis other psychoactive substance use – remain under-explored.
We briefly reviewed the emerging evidence on MMP participants’ health status, and specifically other psychoactive substance use behaviors and outcomes.
MMP participants report improvements in overall health status, and specifically reductions in levels of risky alcohol, prescription drug and – to some extent – tobacco or other illicit drug use…”