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Cloudy with a chance of munchies: Assessing the impact of recreational marijuana legalization on obesity

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  • Raymond J. March
  • Veeshan Rayamajhee
  • Glenn L. Furton

Abstract

Obesity in the US arguably constitutes the most significant health epidemic over the past century. Recent legislative changes allowing for recreational marijuana use further create a need to better understand the relationship between marijuana use and health choices, leading to obesity. We examine this relationship by using a synthetic control approach to examine the impact of legalized recreational marijuana access on obesity rates by comparing Washington State to a synthetically constructed counterfactual. We find that recreational marijuana's introduction did not lead to increased obesity rates and may have led to decreases in obesity.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:31:y:2022:i:12:p:2609-2629
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4598
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    References listed on IDEAS

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