Study Links Legal Marijuana to Reduced Obesity

Another stigma is eliminated. Despite the munchies, a recent study found that in jurisdictions where adult-use cannabis is allowed, obesity rates may be lower as a result of cannabis use.

From 2002 to 2018, researchers from North Dakota State University monitored Washington State’s obesity statistics. They contrasted those rates with those in a controlled-synthesized state.

“Cloudy with a chance of munchies: Assessing the influence of recreational marijuana legalization on obesity,” by Raymond J. March, Veeshan Rayamajhee, and Glenn L. Furton, published the stigma-shifting findings.

“Our primary experiment revealed recreational marijuana legalization, which allowed recreational marijuana dispensaries to open, resulted in decreases in obesity rates for Washington State,” the study’s authors said when compared to the control state.

“As more states move toward decriminalization, expanded therapeutic use, and authorized recreational use of marijuana,” the authors concluded, “our findings provide valuable insights into contemporary drug policy.”

Another study from 2016 discovered that cannabis users in Sweden had a slightly lower incidence of type 2 diabetes than non-users.

As legalization spreads, academics throughout the country are challenging long-held beliefs about how cannabis genuinely affects users. This week, the FDA declared that it would expand its investigation on the plant. Furthermore, fresh research has linked use to higher levels of physical activity and motivation.

Read the full text here, via the journal Health Economics.