Do medical marijuana laws increase prescription stimulant use?

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundChronic cannabis use can present with cognitive impairments that resemble ADHD. Our objective was to determine if medical cannabis (MC) legalization increased prescription stimulant distribution.MethodsWe extracted distribution of methylphenidate, amphetamine, and lisdexamfetamine from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s comprehensive database for 2006 to 2021 and compared the three-year population-corrected slopes of stimulant distribution before and after MC program implementation.ResultsWe found a very large main effect of time (p≤0.001), but, contrary to the hypothesis not states’ MC sales status, on slopes of distribution (p=0.391). There was a significant and large interaction effect of time and MC sales status on slopes of distribution (p≤0.001).DiscussionThese findings suggest that medical cannabis program legalization may have contributed to some states having more rapid increases in Schedule II stimulant distribution rates over time.