This post originally appeared at https://www.badgerinstitute.org/policy-brief-not-your-grandfathers-weed/

Cannabis products and their changing potency

Editor’s note:

Marijuana is hardly an unknown drug, having been widely used for several generations. But it is a changed drug, with the increased potency of cannabis products consumed increasing over time. What are the implications for policy in Wisconsin?

In this eighth installment in our “real facts” series, Jeremiah Mosteller looks at the available research. Some conclusions:

• The average THC content of illicit cannabis products seized by authorities is much higher than it was half a century ago.
• It is unclear from the research how much of this change can be attributed to changes in products, in consumer preferences, or to legalization.
• Consumers increasingly prefer higher potency forms of cannabis.

Read the policy brief

This part of our series follows previous installments:

• An introduction to the project.
• A finding that Wisconsin has, without deliberation, drifted into a de facto decriminalization as prosecution for criminal marijuana offenses has become rareor nonexistent in much of the state.
• A finding that legalization elsewhere has led to either neutral or positive effects on crime, but an increase in highway crashes.
• A finding that legalization for recreational or medical use increases the use of the drug among adults, while research on youth use is less conclusive.
• A finding that, in other states, legalizing cannabis for adult use reduced unemployment and increased labor force participation, and that it seemed to have no impact on wages but led to a reduction in workers’ compensation claims.
• A review of research specific to laws on medical use.
• A finding that legalizing all adult use of cannabis is likely to increase the uncontrolled and harmful use of the drug — that is, “cannabis use disorder” — in Wisconsin. Researchers are more divided on whether legalizing only the medical use of marijuana has similar effects, and adult recreational legalization also is likely to reduce opioid use and overdoses.
• A finding that setting tax levels too high will drive users into the illicit market.

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