Monitoring and Evaluating Changes in Cannabis Polices: Insights from The
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TECHNICAL REPORT Monitoring and evaluating changes in cannabis policies: insights from the Americas January 2020 I Legal notice This publication of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is protected by copyright. The EMCDDA accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of the data contained in this document. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the EMCDDA’s partners, any EU Member State or any agency orinstitution of the European Union. PDF ISBN 978-92-9497-461-7 doi: 10.2810/151487 TD-02-20-009-EN-N Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2020 © European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2020 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Recommended citation: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (2020), Monitoring and evaluating changes in cannabis policies: insights from the Americas, Technical report, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. About this report This report provides an overview of the changes in cannabis policies in the Americas and the evidence emerging from evaluations of their impact. Highlighting the challenges in monitoring and evaluating regulatory changes in the drugs field, it will be of particular interest to those involved in planning or evaluating any changes to cannabis regulation. About the EMCDDA The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is the central source and confirmed authority on drug-related issues in Europe. For over 20 years, it has been collecting, analysing and disseminating scientifically sound information on drugs and drug addiction and their consequences, providing its audiences with an evidence-based picture of the drug phenomenon at European level. The EMCDDA’s publications are a prime source of information for a wide range of audiences including: policymakers and their advisors; professionals and researchers working in the drugs field; and, more broadly, the media and general public. Based in Lisbon, the EMCDDA is one of the decentralised agencies of the European Union. Praça Europa 1, Cais do Sodré, 1249-289 Lisbon, Portugal Tel. +351 211210200 [email protected] I www.emcdda.europa.eu twitter.com/emcdda I facebook.com/emcdda TECHNICAL REPORT I Monitoring and evaluating changes in cannabis policies: insights from the Americas Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. 3 Executive summary ............................................................................................................................. 4 Foreword .............................................................................................................................................. 6 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Background to cannabis policy developments in the Americas ...................................................... 9 3. A description and typology of different policy approaches ............................................................ 13 3.1 US approaches...................................................................................................................... 14 3.2 Uruguay ................................................................................................................................. 15 3.3 Canada .................................................................................................................................. 15 4. An assessment of early evidence of the impact of policy changes in the United States ............... 16 4.1 Literature review selection criteria ......................................................................................... 17 4.2 Prevalence of use ................................................................................................................. 17 4.3 Consumption patterns ........................................................................................................... 23 4.4 Product differentiation and price ........................................................................................... 24 4.5 Treatment admissions ........................................................................................................... 26 4.6 Adverse medical events ........................................................................................................ 26 4.7 Impaired driving ..................................................................................................................... 28 4.8 Consumption of other substances......................................................................................... 30 4.9 Criminal justice and public nuisance outcomes .................................................................... 30 4.10 Tax revenues ......................................................................................................................... 32 4.11 Public opinion ........................................................................................................................ 33 5. Issues to consider when establishing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework for changes to cannabis regulations .......................................................................................................... 34 5.1 Potential objectives of cannabis policy change and metrics of evaluation ........................... 34 5.2 Establishing the data infrastructure ....................................................................................... 40 5.3 Thinking seriously about outcome evaluations ..................................................................... 42 6. Concluding thoughts ...................................................................................................................... 45 References ............................................................................................................................................ 46 Appendix A: Identification and commentary on ongoing/planned studies of legalisation ..................... 52 US studies ......................................................................................................................................... 52 Uruguay ............................................................................................................................................. 53 Canada .............................................................................................................................................. 53 Appendix B: Research papers on the impacts of recreational cannabis laws ...................................... 54 Appendix C: Additional trend data ........................................................................................................ 69 Prevalence ......................................................................................................................................... 69 Hospital and poison control centres .................................................................................................. 73 Traffic fatalities .................................................................................................................................. 75 Arrests for cannabis possession and supply offences ...................................................................... 76 Acknowledgements The EMCDDA would like to thank Bryce Pardo, Beau Kilmer and Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, RAND Europe/RAND Drug Policy Research Center for authoring this report. The EMCDDA is also grateful to Rebecca Jesseman, Director of Policy, CCSA and members of the EMCDDA Scientific Committee, who reviewed and provided comments on the manuscript. 3 TECHNICAL REPORT I Monitoring and evaluating changes in cannabis policies: insights from the Americas Executive summary Over the past 50 years, several jurisdictions in Europe, Australia and the Americas have reduced the penalties associated with using or possessing small amounts of cannabis. As of December 2019, Canada, Uruguay and 10 US states have gone further and passed laws that license the production and retail sale of cannabis, mostly by private companies, to adults for non-medical — sometimes referred to as recreational — purposes (1). With discussions about alternatives to cannabis prohibition becoming more common in some parts of the world, there is a growing interest in learning from the cannabis policy changes in the Americas. To learn more about these new cannabis regimes and their consequences, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) commissioned a review of the changes governing recreational cannabis policies in the Americas and an overview of preliminary evaluations. Findings from this research are intended to inform discussions about the development of a framework for monitoring and evaluating policy developments related to cannabis regulatory reform. Key insights include the following. In addition to the populations of Canada and Uruguay, more than 25 % of the US population lives in states that have passed laws to legalise and regulate cannabis production, sales and possession/use for recreational purposes. In the US, allowing licensed production and sales is often at the discretion of sub-state jurisdictions, which may impose further zoning restrictions on cannabis-related