State laws legalizing marijuana could have the “unintended consequence” of making more young adults and men abuse alcohol, according to a new health study that finds a link between them.
Three public health economists published the study Friday in JAMA Health Forum. Among 4.2 million Americans who completed national behavioral risk surveys from 2010 to 2019, alcohol use increased by 3.7% for young adults ages 18-24 in states that decriminalized recreational cannabis.
Among men living in 10 states and the District of Columbia where recreational marijuana was legal by 2019, alcohol use increased by 1.