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Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Medical Marijuana Laws and Tobacco Cigarette Use

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Choi

    (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)

  • Dhaval Dave

    (Department of Economics, Bentley University, NBER, and Institute of Labor Economics (IZA))

  • Joseph J. Sabia

    (Director of Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies, San Diego State University, University of New Hampshire, and Institute of Labor Economics (IZA))

Abstract

The public health costs of tobacco consumption have been documented to be substantially larger than those of marijuana use. This study is the first to investigate the impact of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on tobacco cigarette consumption. First, using data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), we establish that MMLs induce a 2 to 3 percentage point increase in adult marijuana consumption, likely for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Then, using data from the NSDUH, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and the Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplements (CPS-TUS), we find that the enactment of MMLs leads to a 1 to 1.5 percentage point reduction in adult cigarette smoking. We also find that MMLs reduce the number of cigarettes consumed by smokers, suggesting effects on both the cessation and intensive margins of cigarette use. Our estimated effect sizes imply substantial MML-induced tobacco-related health-care cost savings, ranging from $4.6 to $6.9 billion per year.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Choi & Dhaval Dave & Joseph J. Sabia, 2019. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Medical Marijuana Laws and Tobacco Cigarette Use," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 5(3), pages 303-333, Summer.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:amjhec:v:5:y:2019:i:3:p:303-333
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    Cited by:

    1. Maorui Yang & Han Yu, 2024. "Long-Run Effects of Childhood Exposure to Medical Marijuana Laws on Education and Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 45(4), pages 565-597, December.
    2. Luis Rodrigo Arnabal, 2021. "Optimal design of sin taxes in the presence of nontaxable sin goods," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(7), pages 1580-1599, July.
    3. Ahmed El Fatmaoui, 2024. "From high school to higher education: Is recreational marijuana a consumption amenity for US college students?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(3), pages 1024-1045, July.
    4. repec:osf:socarx:drx9f_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Michele Baggio & Alberto Chong & Sungoh Kwon, 2020. "Marijuana and alcohol: Evidence using border analysis and retail sales data," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(2), pages 563-591, May.
    6. Meinhofer, Angélica & Witman, Allison E. & Hinde, Jesse M. & Simon, Kosali, 2021. "Marijuana liberalization policies and perinatal health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Junxing Chay & Seonghoon Kim, 2022. "Heterogeneous health effects of medical marijuana legalization: Evidence from young adults in the United States," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 269-283, February.
    8. Dhaval M. Dave & Yang Liang & Caterina Muratori & Joseph J. Sabia, 2025. "The effects of recreational marijuana legalization on employment and earnings," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(2), pages 1-41, June.
    9. D. Mark Anderson & Kyutaro Matsuzawa & Joseph J. Sabia, 2020. "Cigarette Taxes and Teen Marijuana Use," NBER Working Papers 26780, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Smart, Rosanna & Doremus, Jacqueline, 2023. "The kids aren’t alright: The effects of medical marijuana market size on adolescents," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    11. Raymond J. March & Veeshan Rayamajhee & Glenn L. Furton, 2022. "Cloudy with a chance of munchies: Assessing the impact of recreational marijuana legalization on obesity," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(12), pages 2609-2629, December.
    12. Chakraborty Avinandan & Doremus Jacqueline & Stith Sarah, 2021. "The effects of recreational cannabis access on labor markets: evidence from Colorado," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-86, January.
    13. Sabia, Joseph J. & Dave, Dhaval & Alotaibi, Fawaz & Rees, Daniel I., 2024. "The effects of recreational marijuana laws on drug use and crime," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    14. Anderson, D. Mark & Rees, Daniel I., 2021. "The Public Health Effects of Legalizing Marijuana," IZA Discussion Papers 14292, IZA Network @ LISER.
    15. Dave, Dhaval & Liang, Yang & Maclean, Johanna Catherine & Muratori, Caterina & Sabia, Joseph J., 2025. "The Effect of E-Cigarette Taxes on Substance Use," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Alex Hollingsworth & Coady Wing & Ashley C. Bradford, 2022. "Comparative Effects of Recreational and Medical Marijuana Laws on Drug Use among Adults and Adolescents," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 65(3), pages 515-554.
    17. Anderson, D. Mark & Matsuzawa, Kyutaro & Sabia, Joseph J., 2020. "Cigarette Taxes and Teen Marijuana Use," IZA Discussion Papers 12980, IZA Network @ LISER.
    18. Cameron M. Ellis & Martin F. Grace & Rhet A. Smith & Juan Zhang, 2022. "Medical cannabis and automobile accidents: Evidence from auto insurance," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(9), pages 1878-1897, September.
    19. Rahi Abouk & Keshar M. Ghimire & Johanna Catherine Maclean & David Powell, 2023. "Pain Management and Work Capacity: Evidence From Workers’ Compensation and Marijuana Legalization," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 737-770, June.
    20. Argys, Laura M. & Averett, Susan L. & Yang, Muzhe, 2020. "Residential noise exposure and health: Evidence from aviation noise and birth outcomes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    21. Ege Aksu & Charles J. Courtemanche & Dhaval M. Dave & Daniel L. Dench & Michael Grossman & Jooyoung Kim & Selen Ozdogan & Shubhsri Rajendra & Joseph J. Sabia & Henry Saffer, 2025. "The Effect of Online Sales Bans on E-Cigarette Use," NBER Working Papers 34565, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Dave, Dhaval & Liang, Yang & Pesko, Michael F. & Phillips, Serena & Sabia, Joseph J., 2023. "Have recreational marijuana laws undermined public health progress on adult tobacco use?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    23. Cynthia Bansak & Jun Hyung Kim, 2024. "Medical marijuana legalization and parenting behaviors: An analysis of the time use of parents," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(7), pages 1245-1259, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

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