In September 2015, the National Institutes of Health awarded Program
Design and Evaluation Services (PDES) a grant to study the impact of
legalizing recreational marijuana in Washington and Oregon, and the
influence of local (i.e., city and county) regulatory policies and taxes
on marijuana. PDES will receive $1.4 million over 3 years to study this
innovative and timely topic.
Washington and Oregon are among only four states to legalize
recreational marijuana. People debate the potential positive and
negative impacts of legalization, but most agree that states should take
steps to mitigate potential negative consequences of legalization—like
youth use, drug dependency, and impaired driving. Some communities are
addressing these concerns by initiating additional regulatory policies
or taxes on marijuana, such as bans on different types of marijuana
licenses, enhanced "buffer" requirements for siting, and zoning
restrictions.
Providing a systematic description of these local policies to
regulate marijuana enacted after statewide legalization is one of our
three study aims. We also aim to provide detailed information about
local recreational marijuana markets (e.g., product, price and potency)
and describe the association between local policy action and marijuana
consumption and marijuana-related public health and social outcomes for
both youth and adults.
Findings from this study will provide policymakers and other
stakeholders with an understanding of how state legalization is being
implemented, and strong evidence about the effectiveness of local policy
for mitigating negative impacts.
Learn more