Author: Jennifer McGrath

Lawyer Jennifer McGrath is a former City Attorney with over 20 years of legal experience. Her law office provides legal support and guidance on California Cannabis Law to members of the cannabis community as well as Cities and Counties in navigating the emerging State and local regulation of both medical and recreational marijuana in this rapidly changing environment.
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Marijuana Users Are Not More Likely to Use Health Care Services

Marijuana Public Health Care

Marijuana users do not use health care services at rates that are higher than non-users, according to a study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin assessed the relationship between marijuana use and health care utilization in a nationally representative sample of 174,159,864 US adults aged 18 to 59 years old.  The study found no significant association between marijuana use and healthcare utilization such as outpatient health care visits and overnight hospital admissions.  The study also found that the frequency of marijuana use does not have significant impact on healthcare utilization.  Read the report – Marijuana users do not have increased healthcare utilization.

This result is consistent with a previous assessment, published in 2014 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.  Researchers form the Boston University School of Public Health and the Cleveland State University School of Health Sciences similarly found no association between frequency of marijuana use and health, emergency department use, or hospital utilization.  Read the report – No Detectable Association Between Frequency of Marijuana Use and Health or Healthcare Utilization.

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Respect State Marijuana Laws Act

Dana Rohrabacher - Respect State Marijuana Laws Act

United States Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), along with six other Republicans and six Democrats, has reintroduced bipartisan legislation the “Respect State Marijuana Laws Act” to prevent the federal government from criminally prosecuting individuals and/or businesses who are engaging in state-sanctioned activities specific to the possession, use, production, and distribution of marijuana.

HR 975 states, ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the provisions of this subchapter related to marijuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with State laws relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, or delivery of marijuana.’’

Passage of this Act would halt federal officials from prosecuting individuals and businesses for violating the Controlled Substances Act in the 29 states that permit either the medical or adult use and distribution of marijuana.  According to national polling, 71 percent of voters believe that the federal government should respect these laws and not interfere with them.

Read more about state cannabis law at California Cannabis Law, and find out about proposed changes to California cannabis law with the 2018 California Cannabis Law Legislative Update.