Study: Legalizing Cannabis Lowers Suicide Rates Among Middle-Aged Men

By Nina Zdinjak

Despite the ongoing trend towards legalizing marijuana, there are still fierce opponents who insist that lifting the ban will lead to higher rates of mental illness or even suicide.

According to a new study, that’s just not true.

Recent research by experts from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Yale Law School, Cato Institute, and the Reason Foundation found there was no link between cannabis use, suicide, and mental illness.

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This latest study, following a 2013 study that came to the same conclusion, found that recreational cannabis legalization was linked to a 6.29 percent reduction in suicide rates among men aged 40 to 49, and that no other “mental health outcomes were consistently affected” cannabis liberalization. “

Cannabis Legalization and Mental Illness

The new research drew on the same methodology by performing “a longitudinal analysis at the federal level using suicide rates from the National Center for Health Statistics and mental health morbidity rates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” The research data spanned all 50 states and Washington, DC from 1999 to 2019. The results are reviewed by experts and published in a prestigious scientific journal.

“Adverse effects on mental health do not follow cannabis liberalization at the state level, which confirms the results [the 2013 study]“, The new study found. “In addition, there is evidence that access to recreational marijuana lowers suicide rates among middle-aged men

RELATED: Health experts say marijuana’s link to suicide is not cut and dried

“Critics of marijuana legalization point to studies showing correlations between heavy cannabis use and suicide, depression and mental disorders. Such studies that demonstrate a correlation, however, have yet to confirm the causality, which should be determined by the predictive ability of a model. “

Cannabis Legalization And Its Benefits

The authors went even further, saying that legalizing cannabis can only help allow a more thorough study of the wider benefits and potential harms of long-term use of marijuana, and that cannabis is no exception and should therefore continue to be thoroughly investigated.

RELATED: New Study Confirms Claims That Cannabis Can Reduce Anxiety And Depression

Additionally, a study published in September by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that rates of marijuana use among adolescents did not increase after states legalized medicinal cannabis or cannabis for adults.

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As reported by Marijuana Moment, an official with the National Marijuana Initiative of the National Marijuana Initiative of the White House Office admitted that cannabis use by teenagers in Colorado and other states where it is legal is “declining” for reasons unknown.

Unsurprisingly, for some teens, the temptation to consume illegal weed wears off when it is allowed.

Another recent study found that military recruits with previous cannabis use perform as well as their counterparts and are less likely to quit the army because of health problems, another point for proponents of cannabis legalization.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.