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Medical marijuana laws and mental health in the United States

Author

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  • Kalbfuß, Jörg
  • Odermatt, Reto
  • Stutzer, Alois

Abstract

The consequences of legal access to medical marijuana for individual welfare are a matter of controversy. We contribute to the ongoing discussion by evaluating the impact of the staggered introduction and extension of medical marijuana laws across US states on self-reported mental health. Our main analysis is based on BRFSS survey data from more than six million respondents between 1993 and 2015. On average, we find that medical marijuana laws lead to a reduction in the self-reported number of days with mental health problems. Reductions are largest for individuals with high propensities to consume marijuana for medical purposes and people who are likely to suffer from chronic pain. Moreover, the introduction of prescription drug monitoring programs lead to a reduction in bad mental health days only in states that allow medical marijuana.

Suggested Citation

  • Kalbfuß, Jörg & Odermatt, Reto & Stutzer, Alois, 2018. "Medical marijuana laws and mental health in the United States," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 88697, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:88697
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Drake, Coleman & Nagy, Dylan & Eisenberg, Matthew D. & Slusky, David, 2025. "Medical cannabis dispensary availability improved self-reported mental health among older adults in New York," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    3. Anderson, D. Mark & Rees, Daniel I., 2021. "The Public Health Effects of Legalizing Marijuana," IZA Discussion Papers 14292, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Gregory Conyers & Ian Ayres, 2020. "A lottery test of the effect of dispensaries on emergency room visits in Arizona," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(8), pages 854-864, August.

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    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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