So, what did these intrepid academics from the University of Basel in Switzerland find out? Well, they recently dropped a study on April 2 titled “Medical marijuana laws and mental health in the United States.” Talk about a buzz-worthy topic, right?
In their quest to unravel the mysteries of medical cannabis, these researchers dove deep into the psyche of the American populace. They wanted to know how legalizing medical weed affected folks’ mental well-being over time. “The consequences of legal access to medical marijuana for individuals’ well-being are controversially assessed,” the researchers said. Oh, controversy? Tell us more!
To crack this nut, they corralled data from 7.9 million people who’d been jabbering on the phone about their mental well-being between 1993 and 2018. They even tapped into the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System because, you know, nothing says “let’s chat mental health” like a good ol’ phone survey.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. They sorted participants into groups like “super abstainers,” “recreational tokers,” and “medicinal Mary Jane enthusiasts” to see how medical cannabis legalization played out in their mental world. Plus, they threw in a dash of chronic pain sufferers just for good measure.
To measure mental health, they asked folks to rate their own sanity by tallying up how many days they felt like they were losing their marbles in the month before the survey. Talk about a mood ring for the digital age!
And what did they uncover in this mental health treasure hunt? Well, it turns out that legalizing medical cannabis didn’t send folks into a tailspin. In fact, it didn’t really move the needle for most. But hey, if you’re using cannabis to battle the blues or soothe those aches and pains, the law change might just give you a reason to smile. According to the researchers, it shaved off about 0.3 days of misery each month for these fine folks.
Now, in case you were wondering, Professor Alois Stutzer chimed in to give his two cents. He basically said, “Hey, folks, legalizing medical cannabis isn’t making the sky fall. Relax, enjoy your buzz, and carry on.” And you know what? Switzerland, that land of chocolate and watches, is taking notes too. They’re eyeing this study like a chocolate lover eyeing a Toblerone bar.
But wait, there’s more! Switzerland’s got its own little cannabis pilot program going on, and boy, is it a doozy. They’ve got data on everything from who’s buying what to how much of the green stuff is flying off the shelves. And guess what? It’s mostly dudes stocking up. Surprise, surprise!
So, there you have it, folks. Researchers are getting their hands dirty in the weed fields of science, and Switzerland is blazing a trail with its own cannabis experiment. Who knows what kind of wacky, tobacky tales we’ll uncover next? Stay tuned!
Photo by: Vie Studio
