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568 Great Marijuana Research Topics

Cannabis is a genus of plants native to Central and South Asia. Marijuana is a species that belongs to this genus. It contains the psychoactive substance THC, which has been used for recreational, spiritual, and medicinal purposes for centuries. This drug can be taken via smoking, vaporizing, eating, and as an extract. Though one of the most commonly used substances globally, it remains illegal in most places.

The legalization and medical use of cannabis are controversial subjects in several countries. This drug has a lot of benefits, such as reducing anxiety or alleviating pain. However, many still believe that it harms people’s physical and mental health and can cause addiction .

In this article, our experts have gathered various marijuana research topics for academic papers. Browse through our list to find an idea that will interest you. Additionally, you can read our tips that will help you select your ideal topic.

• 🔝 Top 14 Marijuana Topics
• 🌿 General Marijuana Topics

🚨 Marijuana Research Questions: Criminology

🫁 research questions about marijuana: medicine, 🚭 research titles about marijuana: cultural, 🪙 marijuana research paper topics: economics, 🎁 84 more thought-provoking marijuana essay titles.

• ✍️ How to Choose a Marijuana Essay Topic

🔗 References

🔝 top 14 marijuana research questions.

• Can cannabis use cause psychosis?
• How effective is marijuana as alternative medicine?
• What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?
• What are the consequences of marijuana addiction?
• How does the Bible view marijuana use?
• Why Is Marijuana Still Illegal?
• Should states allow the selling of marijuana in pharmacies?
• What are Lester Grinspoon’s opinions on marijuana legalization?
• How can we legalize marijuana and other drugs for medical purposes?
• What are the laws regarding marijuana possession?
• Do the advantages of marijuana justify its use?
• Should Marijuana Be Legalized?
• What are the differences between federal and state laws regarding marijuana?
• What are the health effects of the long-term use of cannabinoids?

🌿 Marijuana Topics: General

• Smoking marijuana during pregnancy and its impact on the fetus.
• Increased risk of leukemia due to smoking marijuana.
• Propaganda of marijuana use in the media space.
• Legalization of Marijuana by Federal Government .
• Marijuana abuse as a cause of car accidents.
• Destruction of the lungs under the influence of marijuana.
• Temporary sterility in men from marijuana use.
• Menstrual cycle disorder from taking marijuana.
• Reasons for the use of marijuana by teenagers.
• Enhancing euphoria by smoking marijuana.
• Does marijuana relieve the symptoms of bipolar disorder ?
• The consequence in the early onset of marijuana use.
• Side effects of marijuana treatment.
• Illicit psychiatrists and the treatment of patients with marijuana.
• Marijuana abuse treatment at home.
• Morphine and Marijuana in Palliative Care of Patients With Cancer .
• Using the purified substance of marijuana under supervision.
• Smoking marijuana used as a painkiller. 
• The practice of using marijuana in psychiatry.
• The proven effectiveness of marijuana as a medicinal product.
• The use of marijuana as self-medication .
• Relief of the condition of military veterans with marijuana.
• The effect of marijuana on the human body.
• Dependence on marijuana in adults.
• Signs of a person’s dependence on marijuana.
• Types of marijuana addiction.
• The main stages of marijuana addiction.
• Combination of marijuana with other substances.
• Relationship between relatives and a marijuana addict.
• Diagnosis of marijuana addiction in adolescents.
• The psychological reasons for craving marijuana.
• How marijuana affects mental health?
• Possibility to smoke marijuana for people with mental disorders.
• How marijuana affects the brain?
• How the effect of marijuana on the body works?
• Is there an addiction to marijuana?
• What negative effects are observed when using marijuana?
• Can marijuana provoke psychosis?
• Is there a connection between marijuana use and schizophrenia ?
• Can marijuana enhance a manic state?
• Risk of developing mental illness when smoking marijuana.
• Can marijuana treat mental disorders?
• Increased risk of developing mental disorders when smoking marijuana.
• Effect of smoking marijuana on the development of paranoid schizophrenia.
• How quickly the brain of marijuana smokers recovers after quitting?
• Is it possible to use marijuana to treat mental disorders?
• What to be afraid of when smoking marijuana?
• Smoking Marijuana and Its Negative Outcomes .
• The place of marijuana in the ranking of mass drugs.
• The prevalence of marijuana compared to alcohol , tobacco, and coffee.
• The active ingredients of marijuana.
• The effect of marijuana on vital processes in the body.
• What active substances are contained in cannabis resin?
• What is the effect of marijuana in small doses?
• The effect of different large doses of marijuana.
• What dose of marijuana gives an exciting effect?
• Brain parts affected by cannabinoids when smoking marijuana.
• How smoking marijuana affects the limbic system?
• Intuition and insight when smoking marijuana.
• Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes in the US .
• How do consumers describe their feelings when smoking marijuana?
• How smoking marijuana affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain?
• Acute reaction to external sensations when smoking marijuana.
• What causes the brightness of sounds and colors when smoking marijuana?
• How smoking marijuana affects the feeling of hunger?
• What causes an increase in appetite when smoking marijuana?
• Increased dopamine release when smoking marijuana.
• What explains the positive emotions when smoking marijuana?
• “Popcorn effect” in experiments with marijuana on mice.
• Why do rodents become quiet in experiments on the influence of marijuana?
• How the THC content differs in different varieties of marijuana?
• What kind of marijuana was smoked in the hippie era?
• Which varieties of marijuana are the most popular?
• Marijuana and Banning Edibles .
• Which varieties of marijuana are the least popular?
• How to grow marijuana in greenhouses?
• How to grow marijuana on hydroponics?
• What is the risk of marijuana addiction ?
• Risk of marijuana addiction compared to addiction to heavy drugs.
• Tobacco and alcohol addiction and risk of marijuana addiction.
• What percentage of consumers are addicted to marijuana?
• Risk of marijuana addiction when smoking every week.
• Dependence on marijuana included in the list of mental disorders.
• How many people suffer from marijuana addiction?
• Hotlines and support groups for marijuana addicts.
• The most frequent questions about marijuana consumption.
• Amotivation syndrome in marijuana addicts.
• Weakening and slowing down of thinking abilities in marijuana addicts.
• Reduced interest in the outside world among marijuana addicts.
• Passivity in marijuana addicts.
• The Recreational Use of Marijuana and Other Drugs .
• Lack of ambition and motivation in marijuana addicts.
• Rapid fatigue in marijuana addicts.
• The shattered mood of marijuana addicts.
• The ability to study marijuana smokers.
• Irreversible changes in the brain caused by marijuana.
• Making informed decisions among marijuana smokers.
• Propensity to risk in marijuana smokers.
• Impulsive behavior in marijuana smokers.
• Is there a withdrawal syndrome when using marijuana?
• Loss of appetite during withdrawal from marijuana.
• Restless sleep with nightmares during withdrawal from marijuana.
• How individual is the effect of marijuana on the body?
• Is it possible to predict the effects of marijuana in advance?
• What percentage feels the negative effect of smoking marijuana?
• Marijuana as a common means of self-treatment.
• Pro-Legalization of Marijuana .
• Features the first experience of using marijuana.
• Hallucinations with marijuana-induced psychosis .
• Aggression in marijuana-induced psychosis.
• Long-lasting effects of regular marijuana use.
• Short-term effects of regular marijuana use.
• The existence of a relationship between schizophrenia and marijuana smoking.
• Does marijuana provoke the accelerated development of mental illnesses?
• Can marijuana act as a trigger for mental illnesses?
• Marijuana Addiction and Legalization in the US .
• The connection of marijuana smoking with bipolar disorder development.
• The legal differences between marijuana legalization and decriminalization.
• The impact of marijuana decriminalization on crime statistics.
• Workplace drug testing as a cause of unlawful dismissal.
• Types of recreational marijuana taxation in the United States.
• Do medical cannabis patients benefit from decriminalization?
• Advantages and disadvantages of marijuana-related crime expungement.
• Racial bias in drug convictions: can legalization help?
• Barriers to decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level.
• Prohibition with limited responsibility as an alternative to legalization.
• Does the public support marijuana decriminalization?
• The impact of full marijuana legalization on medical research.
• Marijuana Legalization: Pros and Cons .
• The advantages and disadvantages of a cannabis licensing system.
• Marijuana legalization: potential harmful impact on underage users.
• How does marijuana legalization prevent wrongful dismissal from work?
• Correlation between marijuana legalization and violent crime rate.
• Disadvantages of decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
• Can cannabis legalization cause the consumption of other drugs?
• Decriminalization and the rise of drug offenses among minors.
• Marijuana Legalization on State and Federal Levels .
• Government cannabis business regulation in the United States.
• Place of marijuana in the federal drug scheduling system.
• Differences in regulations of various types of marijuana products.
• Obstacles to establishing a balanced cannabis growing licensing system.
• What were the reasons behind the Marihuana Tax Act?
• Different types of cultivation licenses in the United States.
• The necessity for medical marijuana ID cards.
• Marijuana legalization and use by police and army personnel.
• Should people with dangerous professions be allowed recreational marijuana?
• Benefits of universal decriminalization of marijuana for medicinal use.
• What should be the age for lawful marijuana use?
• Marijuana legalization in states with random drug testing policies.
• The impact of recreational cannabis use on public safety.
• Can businesses deny employment to recreational marijuana users?
• Should marijuana be legalized for recreational adult use?
• The impact of marijuana legalization on drug trafficking .
• Decriminalization of Marijuana .
• Relationship between marijuana decriminalization and property crime rates.
• The regulations for marijuana growth for personal recreational use.
• The criminogenic effect of marijuana legalization and decriminalization.
• Marijuana decriminalization as a cause for police resources re-allocation.
• The crime-reducing effect of recreational marijuana decriminalization.
• How to open a marijuana dispensary in the U.S?
• What governmental bodies are responsible for regulating marijuana use?
• The dangers of growing marijuana for personal use.
• Benefits of marijuana inclusion in the Affordable Care Act .
• Differences in regulation regarding marijuana cultivation in different states.
• Can legalization lead to a rise in drug-related crimes?
• Peculiarities of legalizing marijuana in different jurisdictions.
• Marijuana legalization on tribal lands.
• The implications of cannabis decriminalization on army jurisdiction.
• Can marijuana be legalized under tribal jurisdiction?
• Drugs, Values and Society. Drug Industry and Crime .
• Can military personnel use marijuana recreationally while not on duty?
• The socioeconomic impacts of marijuana decriminalization.
• The impact of marijuana legalization on business performance.
• Does increased cannabis use result in increased criminal activity?
• Comparing crime rates in states with and without legalization.
• Advantages of legalizing medicinal marijuana for underage use.
• The potentially damaging impact of marijuana on recreational users.
• Benefits of mandatory education on drugs in schools.
• Does marijuana decriminalization equate to recreational use legalization?
• Financial benefits of marijuana legalization.
• Marijuana Legalization and How It Can Benefit Society .
• Should previous convictions relating to drug possession be expunged?
• Legalization increases access of underage users to marijuana products.
• Should drug education be legalized in U.S. schools?
• Federal interference in state-level marijuana policies.
• Legal advantages of removing marijuana from the drug schedule.
• Benefits of establishing a federal tax on recreational marijuana.
• Should medicinal marijuana be exempt from sales tax?
• Colorado as an example of marijuana decriminalization and legalization.
• Advantages and disadvantages of marijuana being covered by insurance .
• What happens to cartels that lose the marijuana business?
• The Legalization of Marijuana in the USA .
• Marijuana product testing as a legal requirement before licensing.
• Comparing the effectiveness of alcohol and marijuana legislations.
• Driving under the cannabis influence: potential for vehicular accidents.
• Benefits of establishing driving limits for marijuana use.
• Marijuana legalization as an opportunity for black market growth.
• How can marijuana use by drivers be accurately checked?
• Marijuana legalization causes a decrease in police corruption .
• Should marijuana plants be allowed in households with children?
• Legalization paradox: marijuana laws require increased law enforcement.
• The dangers of a monopoly in the marijuana industry.
• Legal barriers: the impact of UN drug control conventions.
• Drugs, Crime, and Criminal Activities .
• Tax fraud and money laundering in marijuana dispensaries.
• Should marijuana use be allowed in public spaces?
• Marijuana legalization as a tool for generating tax.
• The criminal status of medicinal marijuana users.
• Federal policy on marijuana as the main barrier to decriminalization .
• Jurisdictional clash: how to deal with unintentional marijuana trafficking?
• Is the prohibition of recreational marijuana an effective policy?
• The laws on gifting marijuana products in the U.S.
• Marijuana Legalization: It’s Time to Make It .
• Marijuana legalization as an instrument of reducing cartel violence.
• Advantages and disadvantages of cannabis batch tracking measures.
• Can cannabis decriminalization reduce racial bias in law enforcement?
• The beneficial impact of reducing sentences for marijuana possession.
• Effectiveness of right-to-try laws in states where marijuana is illegal.
• Should cultivation for personal use be subject to regulation?
• How can the government regulate marijuana prices?
• Should recreational marijuana be subject to the excise tax?
• War on Drugs: Reducing and Defining the Trade of Illegal Drugs .
• Marijuana use in sports: benefits, risks, and drug testing.
• Impact of cannabis on mental health: effects on anxiety.
• Legal consequences of cannabis use and driving under the influence,
• Marijuana advertising: benefits, risks, regulations, and impact on consumer behavior.
• The effect of marijuana on cardiovascular health, including blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Exploring the pros and cons of marijuana for addiction treatment and its therapeutic benefits.
• Examining the efficacy of cannabis for relieving and treating chronic aches and pains .
• Assessing the impact of cannabis on memory and learning capacity.
• Cannabis and the criminal justice system: sentencing and incarceration rates.
• Marijuana and health care costs: impacts on access and outcomes.
• Exploring the effects of cannabis on neurodevelopment.
• Selective Cannabinoids for Chronic Neuropathic Pain .
• Impact of cannabis use on young people.
• Potential link between cannabis and cancer.
• Marijuana Legalization: Only for Medical Purposes.
• Cannabis and memory; effects on long-term memory.
• Possible connection between cannabis and mental illness.
• Effect of cannabis consumption on job performance.
• Promotion of marijuana on social media platforms .
• Possibility of lung problems from marijuana use.
• Consequences of allowing marijuana use legally.
• Influence of marijuana on the job attendance.
• How marijuana affects thinking capacity?
• Financial effects of marijuana; impacts on job performance.
• Outcomes of marijuana use on secondary education.
• Environmental impacts of marijuana: effects on environmental pollution .
• Marijuana and its effects on public health.
• Legalizing Medical Marijuana: History and Purpose .
• The role of marijuana use on the risk of injury.
• Impact of marijuana on mental health; mental health treatment .
• Relationship between marijuana use and substance abuse.
• Effects of marijuana on adolescent development.
• How does cannabis impact family dynamics?
• Relationship between marijuana and crime rates.
• Effect of marijuana on employment; influence on child labor .
• The effect of marijuana on property values.
• How marijuana impacts people’s modes of transportation?
• Impact of marijuana on local politics; influence on youth politics.
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Its Causes .
• Influence of marijuana on tourism; effect on local tourism.
• Marijuana and public safety; influence on road safety.
• Marijuana and stock market; impact on stock exchange.
• Effect of marijuana on international relations.
• Marijuana and social interactions; effect on social media interactions.
• Impact of marijuana on social media; influence on youth interactions.
• Relationship between marijuana and drug trafficking .
• Influence of marijuana on the legal system.
• Marijuana and family ties; influence on divorces .
• The role of marijuana on public policy.
• Medicinal Marijuana Industry in Colorado .
• Marijuana and international trade; influence on international trade barriers.
• Impact of marijuana on economic development.
• Influence of marijuana on healthcare costs; impact on mental healthcare.
• Impact of marijuana on drug use: effects on local regulations.
• Marijuana and education outcomes; impact on secondary education outcomes.
• Effect of marijuana on social inequality; impact on income distribution.
• How cannabis impacts on social mobility?
• Influence of marijuana on cultural norms.
• Marijuana and social cohesion; impact on civic participation.
• Influence of marijuana on social trust; effect on integrity.
• Marijuana and social exclusion ; influence on psychological exclusion.
• Cannabis and quality of life; influence on healthcare.
• Influence of marijuana on cognitive function; effect on memory .
• Effect of marijuana on physical activity; influence on walking styles.
• Influence of marijuana on substance abuse treatment .
• Association between cannabis use and sleep habits.
• Impact of marijuana on risk perception; effects on decision-making .
• Effects of cannabis on drug use; impact on physical health.
• The negative impacts of cannabis on media representation.
• How marijuana influences public opinion polls?
• Medical Marijuana: Persuasive Argument Against It .
• The influence of cannabis on creating public awareness.
• Marijuana and domestic violence ; impact on women abuse.
• Impact of marijuana on interpersonal relationships; effects on friendships.
• Marijuana and health care services; impacts on dental health.
• Marijuana and its effects on tertiary education.
• Exploring the impact of marijuana on political stability.
• Relationship between cannabis use and people’s views.
• How cannabis impacts risk assessment and choices.
• Influence of cannabis on social identities.
• Marijuana and mental health services ; impact on psychological counseling.
• Marijuana and its impact on health care quality.
• Effects of cannabis on drug abuse treatment.
• Marijuana and its impact on health care access.
• Smoked Marijuana for HIV-Associated Anorexia and Wasting .
• Effects of marijuana on pharmaceutical use; impact on anticonvulsants use.
• The economic benefits of marijuana legalization; impact on GNP.
• The impact of marijuana dispensaries on local communities.
• The neuropharmacology and therapeutic potential of cannabinoids.
• Main properties of cannabis in the context of its use.
• Current opinion of the WHO and the UN on the legalization of cannabis.
• Does the number of cannabis users grow after its legalization?
• Marijuana users: analysis of the social group.
• The problem of the spread of cannabis use in marginalized populations.
• Cannabis and morbidity in psychiatry: is there a connection?
• Comparison of legalization and criminalization strategies for cannabis use.
• Positive and negative effects of moderate cannabis use for society.
• The main arguments in favor of cannabis legalization.
• Increase in the number of cannabis users due to legalization.
• Legalization of cannabis use: history, significant events, prospects.
• How does the medical community view the legalization of marijuana use?
• Adverse effects of regular marijuana use on the human body.
• How have global legalization prospects changed in recent years?
• An overview of modern approaches to controlling the production of cannabis.
• Cannabis and social life in Western countries in the 20th century.
• Prerequisites for forming a culture of cannabis use in the Western world.
• How have attitudes toward cannabis changed throughout the 20th century?
• How do society’s needs affect cannabis legalization processes?
• Behavioral Effects Associated With Marijuana .
• Pros and cons of the legalization of cannabis use for recreational purposes .
• Medical research on the benefits of cannabis use for treatment purposes.
• Canada’s experience in the legalization of cannabis: the results achieved.
• An analysis of the Dutch experience in the legalization of cannabis use.
• The problem of legalization: point of view of a market economy .
• How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the cannabis industry and users?
• The spread of marijuana use in the Middle and Far Ein the XXI century.
• Traditional harvesting methods and forms of cannabis use in India.
• How has cannabis influenced culture and social life in India throughout its history?
• Background to the widespread use of cannabis in modern India.
• The spread of marijuana use in Indian society: the current state of the problem.
• The sacred role of marijuana in the religious cults of India.
• Features of the use of cannabis as a remedy according to the canons of Ayurveda.
• Influence of the Indian colonization process on forming cannabis culture in Europe.
• Control of the sale and use of marijuana in India from the 19th century.
• Indian cinema as a reflection of the attitude of Indian society toward marijuana.
• Impact of marijuana use on society’s life of Jamaica.
• Similarities and differences in the culture of marijuana use in India and Jamaica .
• The current state of the cannabis industry in Jamaica.
• The role of cannabis as a spiritual guide in Rastafari culture.
• An overview of spiritual practices with marijuana of the Rastafari movement.
• Spread of the cannabis culture during the era of colonization .
• Distribution and production of cannabis in the US during the colonial era.
• Legalization of marijuana in the USA: history, the current state of the problem.
• An overview of the current legal market for cannabis production in the US.
• An analysis of the role of cannabis use in the beatnik movement in the 1950s.
• Hippie culture and the use of cannabis: prerequisites for de-marginalization.
• Hipster movement as supporters of legalization in the 21st century.
• The impact of the normalization of cannabis use among celebrities.
• The influence of marijuana culture on the formation of Stoner Rock music .
• Social events and holidays associated with cannabis use: history and traditions.
• The negative image of cannabis in the media in the 20th century.
• Attitudes towards cannabis use in the US over the past 100 years.
• How does the use of cannabis fit into religion today?
• Does a person’s age affect their attitude toward the legalization of cannabis?
• Possible negative social consequences of a liberal approach to marijuana control.
• Do positive attitudes toward marijuana affect the perception of other drugs?
• Person’s political views and their attitude toward cannabis legalization.
• The attitude of representatives of generation Z to the legalization of marijuana.
• Cannabis and professional sports : is there a trend towards less control?
• Cannabis as an entheogen: a role in antique social, cultural and religious practices.
• Analysis of information about the use of cannabis in ancient societies .
• The origin of Cannabis Culture Day and its role in normalizing cannabis use.
• Global trends in cannabis use: new perspectives and challenges.
• Marijuana: Benefits of Decriminalization .
• Indicators of the normalization of cannabis consumption in Western society.
• Basic principles about marijuana among the followers of Buddhism.
• Cannabis use among representatives of various Abrahamic religions: general trends.
• An overview of religious movements that use cannabis in their sacred cults.
• The influence of cannabis on jazz culture in the 20th 30s of the XX century.
• Stoner film genre and its role in public opinion on the legalization of cannabis.
• The influence of cannabis on society in the 1960s : the road to legalization.
• The use of cannabis in ancient China.
• The cult of the goddess Magu and its connection with cannabis.
• The traditions of Dacians and Scythians that were associated with cannabis.
• The influence of religious movements on cannabis legalization in the world.
• Deities associated with the use of cannabis in different religions.
• Evidence of cannabis use by the Europe tribes in connection with religious events.
• Cannabis in the culture of African peoples, associated rituals, and features of use.
• Cantheism as a philosophical movement that studies the interaction with marijuana.
• THC Ministry is an international marijuana movement: history, religious overtones.
• Specific cannabis-associated terms and their inclusion in the everyday public lexicon.
• The most common forms of cannabis use in Western countries.
• Global trends in cannabis use among youth, adults, and the elderly.
• The most common modern forms and practices of marijuana use.
• The relationship of spiritualism and cannabis use among today’s youth.
• Popularization of the use of cannabis in social networks .
• Advertising of marijuana use and its positive representation.
• Approaches to controlling advertising and promotion of cannabis on the Internet.
• The problem of racism in the modern culture of production and use of cannabis.
• Overview of modern trends in the cultivation and production of hemp.
• Ways to control the distribution in countries with legalized cannabis.
• Eastern spiritual practices and their influence on cannabis use in the West.
• Public Discussions on the legalization of Cannabis: trends in recent years.
• Image of a person using cannabis in modern culture.
• Long-term effects of cannabis legalization on social and cultural life.
• The legalization movement in western countries: an analysis of activity.
• Trends in the world practice of marijuana legalization.
• Fighting the black market as part of the legalization of cannabis.
• Are marijuana advocates concerned with the economy or personal benefits?
• Can legalized cannabis revenues cover rehabilitation expenditures for marijuana abusers?
• Can the financial benefits of marijuana legalization justify health issues?
• Cannabis legalization: Lessons and economic outcomes from three developed countries.
• Cannabis tourism: Economic advantages and ethical concerns.
• Countries that benefited financially after allowing marijuana usage.
• Do the costs of marijuana legalization outweigh its tax revenues?
• Does recreational marijuana have to be legalized for economic growth ?
• Does the US have enough specialists for cannabis-related occupations?
• Ethical issues of legally allowing cannabis to pursue economic improvement.
• Global marijuana business and its effects on the economy.
• How can legalized marijuana consumption help overcome the financial crisis?
• How can legally accepted cannabis advance gross domestic product?
• How can legal cannabis usage resolve unemployment issues?
• How can marijuana legalization save government costs concerning criminal justice ?
• How can small businesses profit from marijuana being legally allowed?
• How can the cannabis industry become an economic driver?
• How can US banks facilitate cannabis legalization?
• How do countries that allow cannabis consumption tax the drug?
• How do US states that allow marijuana allocate tax revenues?
• How does cannabis prohibition impact the economy through black markets?
• How does legalizing marijuana contribute to decreases in government spending?
• How has California benefited financially due to making cannabis legal?
• How has unemployment changed in Colorado since allowing marijuana usage?
• How can marijuana legalization harm existing businesses?
• How may the black market benefit from cannabis legalization?
• Marijuana, Its Medical and Economic Benefits .
• How would legally permissible cannabis usage affect US tax revenues?
• Is creating marijuana taxation policies more feasible than prohibiting cannabis?
• Is the legalization of medical cannabis enough for economic growth?
• Legalization of marijuana: accounting and taxation issues.
• Making marijuana legal: Economic benefits and pitfalls.
• Marijuana industry’s economic impact since legalization in Colorado and California.
• Marijuana legalization as a way of overcoming unemployment.
• Marijuana taxation in the US and Canada: Comparison and outcomes.
• The comparison of cannabis tax policies in Colorado and California.
• The economic effects of cannabis legalization on tourism and banking.
• The economic rationale for cannabis legalization.
• The impacts of the cannabis industry on the US population.
• The monetary outcomes of sales of medical marijuana in the US.
• US tax policies on medical marijuana usage.
• What are the economic benefits of cannabis legalization, aside from tax revenues?
• What are the financial benefits of marijuana legalization?
• What are the monetary costs of legalizing marijuana?
• What are the economic outcomes of taxing and penalizing cannabis?
• What are the three top cannabis businesses in Colorado?
• What are unemployment rates in states allowing and prohibiting cannabis?
• What factors affect economic growth associated with cannabis legalization?
• What is more economically advantageous: prohibiting or legalizing marijuana?
• What is the price elasticity of legalized and illegal cannabis?
• What jobs can be created due to legally allowing marijuana?
• What programs or organizations are supported by marijuana tax revenues?
• What three industries benefit the most from cannabis legalization?
• What would benefit the economy: Medical or recreational cannabis usage?
• Which industries have expanded in California since marijuana legalization?
• Which policies ensure that cannabis tax revenues benefit the nation?
• Which US states have experienced financial loss after cannabis prohibition?
• Which US states have seen economic growth after cannabis legalization?
• Why is marijuana prohibited if its legalization is economically beneficial?
• Would cannabis legalization provide long- or short-term economic advantages?
• The implementation of the recreational use of marijuana.
• Advantages and disadvantages of marijuana legalization.
• Modern marijuana policy in the USA.
• The origin of marijuana and its usage in the past.
• Marijuana Legalization and Drug Effects .
• The role of marijuana in the discussions in media.
• The consequence of inappropriate use of marijuana.
• Consequences of legalization of marijuana in Maine.
• The role of marijuana in severe illnesses treatment.
• The reasons for the failure of anti-marijuana measures.
• The impact of marijuana legalization on society.
• Negative consequences of marijuana on people`s health.
• Benefits of using marijuana at hospitals with examples.
• The media`s influence on legalization and prohibition of marijuana.
• The relationship between marijuana and other drugs .
• The impact of marijuana legalization on the American economy.
• The economic loss due to the prohibition of marijuana.
• The future of anti-marijuana policy in the USA.
• Students’ Attitudes towards the Use of Cannabis .
• The social effect of marijuana prohibition and its benefits.
• Marijuana, alcohol or cigarettes: what is deadlier.
• Raising cannabis plants at home: legal or illegal.
• The role of racial presumptions in prohibiting marijuana.
• Illegal ways of marijuana spread in the USA.
• Effective measures to prevent illegal use of marijuana.
• The war on drugs and marijuana’s role in it.
• The history of the war against marijuana in America.
• The decrease in crime rates due to marijuana legalization.
• Economic, healthy, and safety factors in legalizing marijuana.
• Tax revenue in the states due to marijuana legalization.
• The improvement in regulatory oversight due to marijuana legalization.
• The increase in health quality due to marijuana legalization.
• The Problem of Drug Abuse by Women .
• Differences in worker productivity because of marijuana.
• Main concepts and strategies of legalizing marijuana in Maine.
• The reasons for marijuana prohibition: explanation and examples.
• Safe and danger of marijuana: qualitative study .
• Adverse effects of the medical use of marijuana.
• The reasons for different marijuana policy in the US states.
• The sights of inappropriate and harmful use of marijuana.
• Drug Abuse and Modern Society .
• Marijuana addiction in the USA: causes, examples, and consequences.
• The medical effectiveness of marijuana: truth or lie.
• The factors that influence global marijuana policy.
• Marijuana popularity among teenagers: reasons, examples, and results.
• Marijuana`s effects on teenagers and adolescents influencing marijuana legalization.
• The benefits of recreational marijuana in the USA.
• The basic presumptions and their role in marijuana legalization.
• Attitudes among Americans toward marijuana legalization.
• The overuse of marijuana due to legalization: possible issues.
• The effect of marijuana on the fight against cancer .
• Arguments against marijuana legalization in the USA.
• Benefits of limitations of the legal use of marijuana.
• State vs. government marijuana legalization: what is more effective.
• The advantages of legal control over marijuana for Americans.
• The Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized .
• The historical examples of the benefits of marijuana legalization.
• Different types of marijuana: from safe to deadly.
• The reasons for taking marijuana by adults and teenagers .
• Health problems caused by extreme use of marijuana.
• Countries that will never legalize marijuana and why.
• Industrial benefits of legalizing marijuana for financial development.
• The effects of marijuana prohibition on public health quality.
• The consequences of marijuana prohibition on the crime level.
• Legalization of medical marijuana in Maine: causes and consequences.
• Reasons for comprehensive drug reform in the USA.
• The research of the public`s opinion on legalizing marijuana.
• Statistics of marijuana use: research, analysis, and influence.
• The strategies of marijuana legalization that failed.
• The role of the drug enforcement administration in marihuana prohibition.
• Medical marijuana law in America: explanation, use, and impact.
• Legalizing Marijuana from the Christian Worldview .
• The influence of clinical studies on marijuana legalization.
• Relations between marijuana legalization and life-safety conditions.
• Marijuana nation: the root of the issue or way to improvements.
• The consequences of recreational marijuana legalization in Maine.
• Recreational use of marijuana in America: explanation and necessity.
• How to prevent the harmful use of marijuana in society?
• The reasons for taking marijuana among teenagers.
• The role of the third amendment in marijuana legalization.
• The harmful effects of marijuana prohibition in the USA.
• When, how, and why did marijuana become legal?
• Marijuana Legalization for Recreational Use .
• Which factors influence decisions about marijuana legalization?

✍️ How to Choose a Marijuana Topic for Your Essay

Whether you are writing an argumentative , persuasive, or any other type of essay , you should consider your topic first. After all, a compelling title can result in an equally compelling paper. Below, we will discuss tips for selecting the best marijuana essay titles.

• Bear your interests in mind. Before settling on an idea, do some preliminary reading and ask yourself which area stands out. Perhaps you are concerned with how cannabis affects mental illness? Alternatively, you might be wondering about marijuana laws in different states. To write a good paper, choose a topic that fits your interests. Working on something you are invested in will make the process more enjoyable.
• Conduct preliminary research. To find the perfect topic, you need to understand the overall scope of your work and the current research. What are the “hottest” discussions and the most recent debates about cannabis legalization? Who are the influential voices on this subject? Answering these questions and reading relevant sources regarding marijuana will guide you in the right direction. And to ensure that you don’t linger on this stage, you can shorten the articles you read with our summary generator .
• Find a niche in the existing knowledge. As you conduct your initial research, try to find a gap in the existing academic literature. You can focus on areas that are not as thoroughly studied as others. For example, this could be the effects of edible cannabis products on human health. Yet, you still need sufficient evidence to support your arguments.
• Consider what your professor might find engaging. Talk to your instructor if you can’t find a niche in the existing knowledge or aren’t sure if your topic fits. They might give suggestions or tell you about a research area they find personally engaging. It is a good idea to keep your professor’s interests in mind. After all, they will be the ones grading your paper.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for advice! Always remember: you are not alone! Even if your professor isn’t available, there are other people you can turn to. Teaching assistants, peers, and librarians will gladly share their advice and opinions. You can also look at old essays or dissertations to see how other students tackled this subject.

Thank you for reading the article. Share these tips with your classmates and friends that need help with their research title about cannabis. To ensure that your essay turns out perfect, you can try reading out loud. If you don’t have a friend nearby, you can always use our free text-to-voice tool .

• Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know – National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Marijuana as Medicine? The Science Beyond the Controversy – Alison Mack, Janet Joy, National Academies Press, PubMed
• A Quick Take on Cannabis and Its Effects – Kimberly Holland, Femi Aremu, Healthline
• Choose Your Research Topic – Griffith University
• Selecting & Refining a Research Topic – Joan Reitz, Western Connecticut State University

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Public Health Implications of Cannabis Legalization: An Exploration of Adolescent Use and Evidence-Based Interventions

Joseph donnelly.

1 Department of Public Health, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043, USA; ude.rialctnom@eittudlas

Michael Young

2 Center for Evidence-Based Programming, South Padre Island, TX 78597, USA; moc.oohay@desab_ecnedive

Brenda Marshall

3 Department of Nursing, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA; ude.jnupw@3bllahsram

Michael L. Hecht

4 REAL Prevention LLC, Clifton, NJ 07013, USA; moc.liamg@uspthceh

Elena Saldutti

This article examines the relaxation of state marijuana laws, changes in adolescent use of marijuana, and implications for drug education. Under federal law, use of marijuana remains illegal. In spite of this federal legislation, as of 1 June 2021, 36 states, four territories and the District of Columbia have enacted medical marijuana laws. There are 17 states, two territories and the District of Columbia that have also passed recreational marijuana laws. One of the concerns regarding the enactment of legislation that has increased access to marijuana is the possibility of increased adolescent use of marijuana. While there are documented benefits of marijuana use for certain medical conditions, we know that marijuana use by young people can interfere with brain development, so increased marijuana use by adolescents raises legitimate health concerns. A review of results from national survey data, including CDC’s YRBS, Monitoring the Future, and the National Household Survey on Drug Use, allows us to document changes in marijuana use over time. Increased legal access to marijuana also has implications for educational programming. A “Reefer Madness” type educational approach no longer works (if it ever did). We explore various strategies, including prevention programs for education about marijuana, and make recommendations for health educators.

1. Introduction

Under federal law, the use of marijuana remains illegal. In spite of this federal legislation, as of 1 June 2021, 36 states, four territories and the District of Columbia have enacted medical marijuana laws. There are 17 states, two territories and the District of Columbia that have also passed recreational marijuana laws. One of the concerns regarding the enactment of legislation that has increased access to marijuana is the possibility of increased adolescent use of marijuana. This concern has been raised by parents, educators, researchers, public health professionals, and other community stakeholders. In states that have increased legal access to marijuana, has there been an increase in adolescent marijuana use? How has use impacted adolescents? From both a public policy standpoint and educational perspective, how might we best approach the issue of reducing adolescent marijuana use? In this commentary, we will briefly explore the scope of marijuana legalization, the impact recreational legalization has had on the adolescent population, and the national and international response.

It may be surprising for some to discover that at the federal level, marijuana is still considered a Schedule I Substance under the Controlled Substance Act [ 1 ]. However, in 2013, the US Department of Justice updated their marijuana enforcement policy in an effort to address the state legalization initiatives. The policy confirmed that marijuana remained an illegal drug, but states would continue to be given the authority to determine marijuana laws and enforcement [ 2 ]. It appears that the federal policy requires states to enact their own regulatory protocols concerning “production, distribution, and possession of marijuana” [ 2 ]. This raises the question as to why federal law continues to prohibit marijuana use. The year 2022 may be a pivotal one for marijuana legalization. Congress is set to discuss several marijuana initiatives, including decriminalizing marijuana possession and use, and removing marijuana from the Schedule I Substance listing [ 3 ].

If one wants to learn more about the frequency with which marijuana, or other drugs, are used in the United States, there are several easily accessible sources, including Monitoring the Future, CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. If, however, researchers were to use these sources in an attempt to determine the impact of recreational legalization of marijuana on adolescent marijuana use, they would be hard pressed to find a consistent trend [ 4 ]. Variability also exists when comparing pre and post recreational legalization rates in those states that have legalized recreational marijuana. For example, some states actually show decreases in adolescent use post-recreational legalization, while other states report increased use in select populations (e.g., recurrent marijuana users [ 5 ], college students [ 6 ]). Additionally, it is important to note a major limitation involving the most recent data collection years–the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 significantly affected data collection methods for the 2019–2020 annual report; no data were recorded from mid-March until September 2020 [ 4 ]. As such, the authors caution against using such information when determining outcomes. With widespread surges of COVID-19 brought on by the Delta and the Omicron variants, in 2021, and continuing into 2022, the pandemic may continue to be an obstacle to obtaining accurate data. This makes it extraordinarily challenging to consider the impact of recreational legalization on the adolescent population, as the best data we have may well not provide an accurate reflection of actual use. When one considers the eight states that moved to legalize recreational marijuana during 2020 and 2021, attempting to determine changes in use, simply by comparing numbers, before and after legalization, will not likely provide accurate results [ 4 ].

Recent, but pre COVID-19, research, indicated that marijuana legalization has had a minimal impact on adolescent drug use however [ 7 ]. While some people may assume that legalizing recreational marijuana will increase use of marijuana by adolescence, at this point, we simply do not know whether this is actually the case. It is never easy to collect accurate data concerning adolescent drug use, but conditions surrounding the pandemic, including increased adolescent social isolation and significant disruptions in data collection, create substantial limitations.

Research has, however, substantiated the negative impact that recreational marijuana has had on general public health, specifically increases in emergency room visits, motor vehicle crashes, and traffic fatalities. In Colorado, significant increases were reported in all of three of these measures when comparing numbers prior to recreational legalization to post-recreational legalization [ 8 ]. These findings suggest that, perhaps, it may be easier to identify indirect consequences of recreational marijuana legalization, including the immediate and longer-term impact of prevention program.

2. Impact of Legalization

Legalization of cannabis has had both intended and unintended consequences. Medical marijuana can have some positive benefits for some health conditions. The legalization of recreational marijuana has also had a positive impact on increasing state tax revenue and decreasing arrests for simple possession charges. Cannabis, as a product, also has negative health consequences that can have serious long-term effects when used by youth or abused by youth and adults. This section will examine the unintended, however not entirely unexpected, consequences that legalization of cannabis has on youth. Canada legalized use, possession and sale of recreational cannabis in 2018 [ 9 ]. Unlike the United States, Canada has a federal requirement that all cannabis products carry a warning message concerning THC (Frequent and prolonged use of cannabis containing THC can contribute to mental health problems over time. Daily or near-daily use increases the risk of dependence and may bring on or worsen disorders related to anxiety and depression). Canada also requires tamper-proof packaging that is child resistant [ 9 ]. This pre-emptive consideration for protecting youth reflects the understanding that brain response to drugs and toxins have great variability during the life span, especially where neuro-toxicity is concerned [ 10 ]. Despite these proactive interventions, Canada has witnessed increases in severe cannabis intoxication in pediatric patients since legalization, with the ingestion of cannabis edibles the strongest predictor of intensive care admissions [ 11 ].

2.1. Youth Substance Use

2.1.1. youth under 12 years of age.

The National Poison Data System identified a rise in cannabis ingestion in children 0–6 years old, with over 70% of those cases in states with legalized recreational use. These are only the cases where the child has been brought to the hospital for treatment, so the general number of children in this age group ingesting cannabis is unknown [ 12 ]. In this age group, the researchers concluded that increases in access to cannabis edibles due to legalization was a contributing factor in the rise of cases [ 12 ].

2.1.2. Adolescent Cannabis Use

Scheier and Griffin (2021) also examined the availability of cannabis to minors, specifically adolescents [ 13 ]. As reported in the 2020 Marijuana Research Report, adolescent marijuana use (i.e., 8th, 10th and 12th graders) peaked in the late 1990s and began to decline through the mid-2000s before leveling off [ 14 ]. In 2021, an estimated 7.1% of 8th graders, 17.3% of 10th graders, and 30.5% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past 12 months [ 15 ]. Additionally, the majority of 12th graders who used marijuana in the last year preferred vaping as their method of administration [ 16 ]. There is also evidence that cannabis users are also more likely to smoke tobacco cigarettes [ 17 ]. Increased use, especially seen in the ‘past thirty day’ category, correlates with the decreased perception of risk when using [ 13 ].

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no safe amount of cannabis use for adolescents [ 17 ]. The general impact of cannabis use on the adolescent brain affects memory, decision-making, attention and motivation [ 17 , 18 ]. Early studies related to the impact of cannabis on personality development indicated that use of cannabis by adolescents is more attractive to those who have specific characteristics including isolation, social criticism, and alienation [ 19 ]. More recent studies have demonstrated that there is a relationship between impulsive, risk-seeking behaviors, identified as neurobehavioral disinhibition, and use of cannabis [ 13 ]. Research demonstrates that there are some youth who will be more physiologically and psychologically drawn to using cannabis, regardless of its legalization status. With legalization also comes normalization, which opens the door for usage by those who otherwise, if it were not legal, would be unlikely to participate.

Certainly not all adolescents who try marijuana will go on to be chronic users, defined as use at an early age with continued and increasing use over time. For those who, however, do become chronic users the impact can be dire. Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), which develops in chronic users, increases the risk of lower self-expectations, lower life and work satisfaction, poor academic performance and places the youth at higher risk for developing other substance use disorders [ 20 ]. CUD results in poorer cognitions in the areas of memory and executive functioning, can result in changes in brain structure and functioning resulting in altered decision-making capacity [ 16 ].

There is an abundance of evidence from multiple studies, including systematic reviews, which demonstrates how cannabis use affects adolescent development of psychiatric disorders [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. As indicated by Radhakrishnan et al. (2014), youth exposure to cannabinoids, which would include Spice and K2, underlies some of the transient psychiatric symptoms that mimic psychosis. The moderators of this response to cannabis and cannabinoids include genetics, family history, ACEs, and age of initial use. These correlations do not indicate causation; however, they do provide research with the red flag that identifies the use of cannabis as one of the components in the increasing identification of psychosis in youth. Additionally, in 2020, a comprehensive review of the literature demonstrated that “Prospective epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated that cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of subsequently experiencing psychotic symptoms and developing schizophrenia-like psychosis (26). There is a dose–response effect revealing that as consumption of cannabis increases so do the adverse psychiatric effects [ 13 ]. Adolescent cannabis use was also positively correlated with an increased risk for psychosis; however, the correlation does not indicate any causation. This association between increased risk for psychotic events, psychosis, and relapsing psychosis for adolescent cannabis use has also been well documented in a number of studies [ 23 ]. The moderating variables for the development of psychosis are frequency and amount of cannabis use and the potency of the drug. Dosage and age of onset of use increases the risk of severe psychotic response, as does exposure to childhood trauma, identified as adverse childhood experiences (ACES). On a positive note, studies have demonstrated that abstinence from cannabis use, as short as three months, can bring the youth back to healthy levels of brain functioning [ 18 ].

All youth, especially adolescents, are at risk for negative outcomes from cannabis use. This may be due to the important neuromaturation that occurs in adolescence, particularly in the area of executive function (prefrontal networks). At present, projections of effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain are based on older data, when levels of use were lower and potency was less. New strains of cannabis, combined with the current favorite route of administration (vaping), may impact brain development even further. Children with emotional challenges are at higher risk of substance use for self-medication, which then increases their likelihood of developing a psychiatric disorder. Additional research is needed to better understand the effects of marijuana use on adolescents, as well as the effects of legalization on adolescent use.

In the meantime, what can public policy makers, educators, parents, and public health professionals to educate young people about the risks of marijuana use? What prevention approaches seem to have the most impact?

2.2. Prevention

Legalization of recreational and medical marijuana has had several consequences as documented in this paper. However, to date, little is known about the implications of these changes on substance use prevention and particularly the focus on marijuana in those efforts. As prevention specialists work to find ways to deal with the legalization of recreational marijuana, it may be worth noting that in all states recreational use of both alcohol and tobacco is legal. Should education to reduce the health risks of marijuana differ markedly from education to reduce the health risks of alcohol and tobacco?

It is beyond the scope of this article to examine all drug prevention interventions. Instead, we have chosen to focus on two programs. The first is a take-home parent–child program, one that promotes parent engagement. The second program is a school-based, classroom intervention. Both programs are theory-based. Keep A Clear Mind, the parent engagement program makes use of Social Norms Theory, the Health Belief Model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Keepin’ it REAL, the classroom-based intervention makes use of Social Emotional Learning Theory and Narrative Engagement Theory. It is unclear at this time which behavioral theories will be most helpful to curriculum developers in developing effective prevention programs for adolescents. It is clear that these two programs have made use of different behavior theories, but have both produced positive results

2.2.1. Parent Engagement

Keep A Clear Mind [ 27 ] is a parent–child, take-home program in drug education. The program has received a number of awards and recognitions and is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. The program includes four student activity booklets (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, choices), four student incentives, and five parent newsletters. Students take the activity books home, one per week, and do the program with their parents. This largely involves reading material together and answering simple questions. Students receive a small incentive (bumper sticker, book mark, etc.) for showing their teacher that their parents have signed indicating they have worked with them to complete the activity booklet. After four weeks of activity booklets, the newsletters are sent home, again, one per week (or one every other week). The program is easy to use and because the program is done at home, it takes very little classroom time.

The sections of the “We choose not to use Marijuana” activity booklet, like the alcohol and tobacco activity booklets, include Let’s Talk About (in this case-marijuana), And that’s a Fact, Why do people choose not to use, Think for yourself, and a Contract to Think for Yourself (about marijuana). In the Let’s Talk About section, factual information is provided about marijuana, including information about legalization. This section acknowledges that more than half of the states in the U.S. have made some legal provision for the medical use of marijuana and a number of states have made recreational use of marijuana legal. Like alcohol and tobacco, even in states where recreational use is legal, it is only legal for adults. In this section, the program also reminds the readers that by federal law, marijuana use is illegal for everyone, even if used strictly for medical purposes.

Prevention specialists understand that information/knowledge is a necessary, but insufficient precursor to behavior change. Thus, the Keep A Clear Mind prevention strategy for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana is to present material in the context of health behavior theory. For example, social norms theory [ 28 ] suggests that our behavior is influenced by our perceptions or misperceptions of these norms. If we think everyone is doing “it,” regardless of what that may be, we are more likely to do it ourselves.

Keep A Clear Mind also makes use of the Health Belief Model [ 29 ], presenting information about how marijuana affects the body. This includes some effects that potentially are quite serious (severity) and which can and do occur among adolescent users (susceptibility). The program also helps young people understand that the benefits of choosing not to use marijuana far outweigh any perceived benefits and real risks of using (risks/benefits). Finally, Keep A Clear Mind helps young people learn to say “no” and gives them practice in doing so (self-efficacy).

The Theory of Planned Behavior is based on the concepts of intention and perceived behavior control. A person who has the intention to engage in a behavior is more likely to actually engage in the behavior than someone who does not have that intention. Intentions are influenced by attitude towards the behavior and subjective norms. If children value what their parents think, and they believe their parents clearly do not want them to use marijuana, then the children are less likely to have the intention to use marijuana. Because Keep A Clear Mind involves children and parents working through and discussing material together, it gives parents a real opportunity to let their children know how they feel about the use of marijuana. Again, Keep A Clear Mind makes it clear that the vast majority of people do not smoke marijuana.

Perceived behavioral control refers to one’s perception of control over their behavior. It is assumed that this concept is reflective of the obstacles one has encountered in past behavioral performances. That is, people with higher perceived control are more likely to form intentions to perform a particular action than people who perceive they have little or no control. Keep A Clear Mind walks young people through the steps to saying no and gives them opportunities to practice saying no. The idea here is to enhance self-efficacy and create higher perceived control.

How is the program’s approach to marijuana different from its approach to alcohol and tobacco? Keep A Clear Mind indicates that alcohol and tobacco are drugs that are legal for adults to use. It also indicates that while under federal law, marijuana is an illegal drug, in some states, provisions have been made for medical use, and for adults, recreational use. Other than the mention of these differences related to legal status, there is little difference in approach to prevention across the three drugs. Keep A Clear Mind is available from the Center for Evidence-Based Programming. The web address is www.keepaclearmind.com .

2.2.2. Classroom Intervention

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the largest school-based substance use prevention program in the U.S. Initiated in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, D.A.R.E. once had a footprint in over 90% of the schools in the U.S. Following evaluations that did not support its efficacy, this footprint shrank noticeably, although it remained the largest such program. In response, D.A.R.E. made the determination that it was a dissemination vehicle rather than a curriculum and sought an evidence-based program to fill the void. Turning to information sources such as the National Registry of Evidence-based programs and practices (NREPP), now largely defunct, D.A.R.E. reviewed interventions that were deemed “model programs”, NREPP’s highest designation, and chose keepin’ it REAL due to its strong outcome evaluation evidence and a multicultural strategy that fit a national program. It was eventually endorsed in the Surgeon General’s report on addiction and found to have a $72:1 cost–benefit ratio in an independent evaluation.

The original keepin’ it REAL (kiR) was developed for implementation by teachers in middle schools using narrative and social emotional learning frameworks that stressed a highly interactive lesson plan. Social emotional learning theory (SEL) is premised on the idea that if youth develop strong, basic competencies they will be less likely to engage in risky and unhealthy behaviors such as substance use [ 30 ]. From this perspective, there is no need to focus on specific risk behaviors such as substance use since the competencies apply to all risks. This, of course, means that specific marijuana content is not obligated.

The premise of the companion narrative approach, derived from Narrative Engagement Theory, is that engaging stories (i.e., meet the criteria of realism, interest, and identification) provide mental and behavior models that re-story or change the narrative about a topic, in this case substances. Strategically, this involved performances of indigenous narratives about the SEL competencies that presented a drug-free life as fun and normative and resisting offers of drugs as communicatively and relationally competent. Here, introducing stories about marijuana would be useful; however, in a changing legal and resulting social environment presenting stories that are static (e.g., those in videos or written form) is problematic because the narrative is changing rapidly.

It should be noted that neither approach emphasizes drug information and its companion fear appeals (i.e., scaring youth not to use drugs), which had been the main strategy of many prior prevention interventions, and which had not proved to be an effective strategy in several meta-analyses. Instead, drug “facts” were used in the lesson on risks and consequences.

When D.A.R.E. licensed kiR in the mid-2000s, they were onboard with these approaches, although it was agreed that the lessons had to be “DARE-ified” to adapt to delivery by police officers. While D.A.R.E. provides an extensive, 80-h training, the officers are not classroom teachers and, as a result, require more explicit instructions (i.e., they cannot simply be told to “lead a discussion”). During this process, the original kiR premise of presenting drug facts/information only in the context of the lesson on risks and consequences and only about alcohol and tobacco came under question. Since the previous D.A.R.E. curricula had placed much heavier emphasis on information (and maybe fear?) and D.A.R.E. serves multiple constituencies, some of which maintain a belief in drug information and fear tactics, this proved challenging. Others raised the valid point that marijuana was prevalent in their communities and the students they taught would want to know about it. The developers were told that the officers needed to be prepared to respond to questions about marijuana that they were likely to face. A work group on the topic was convened and created a “discussion guide” for officers to use to address marijuana, a topic that was likely to become increasingly relevant under widespread legalization of cannabis throughout the U.S, both Medical and Recreational legalization. The strategy that was developed was to treat marijuana like any other topic that might come up in discussions of risks and consequences by using questions to focus students to apply what they had learned to this substance. The officers are told:

“If students introduce the subject of marijuana, not only does this satisfy the concern of age appropriateness, but it also serves as an indication that the ensuing discussion will have particular meaning to the students. It is proven to be more effective to discuss drugs, risks and consequences, decision-making, and resistance strategies when the students show an interest by initiating the discussion. As part of the D.A.R.E. kiR elementary curriculum, a discussion guide has been provided to D.A.R.E. officers for incorporation into lessons when appropriate. The marijuana discussion guide has been constructed so that it reflects the design of the D.A.R.E. kiR elementary lessons, when employed it integrates in a seamless fashion.”

The officers were then told to remind students about the definition of a drug and discuss if marijuana meets it. Then remind them about risk and consequences, again discussing the application to marijuana. Officers were provided with information they could use about the effects on the mind and body to facilitate this discussion.

The advantage of this approach is that it allowed a national program to respond in a way that adjusted to local circumstances, including legalization status and community norms. It also allowed class discussion to adapt content to the local culture—the stories or narrative that emerges localizes the curriculum. With the emergence of vaping, it also allows adjustment to different delivery mechanisms. Unfortunately, over the years changes in D.A.R.E.’s administration led to the abandonment of this discussion guide, leaving officers to fend for themselves. As with any large, national organization it is likely that a great deal of variation has emerged in how the topic is handled.

3. Conclusions

The emerging marijuana legalization landscape provides both challenges and opportunities for the prevention community. One hopes that norms and attitudes would not become overly positive, i.e., legalization will not be equated with safety or health. It seems clear that the potential profits for the cannabis industries, and the lure of increased tax revenue, will likely translate into even more states, and possibly the federal government, legalizing marijuana. The argument has often been made that marijuana is no worse than alcohol or tobacco. The research available today may not allow one to accurately quantify the relative risk of these three drugs. For arguments sake, however, say there is no difference in risk. That is not much of a recommendation. Remember, 88,000 people die each year in the U.S. from alcohol-related causes and tobacco is responsible for 480,000 deaths per year in the U.S. (and millions of deaths each year worldwide). Regardless of legal status, it is important to encourage young people to avoid using marijuana—and alcohol and tobacco. We should also encourage business and policy makers to look beyond profits and revenue streams in addressing legalization.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.D. Introduction, J.D. and E.S. Youth Substance Use, B.M. Parent Engagement (Keep A Clear Mind), M.Y. Classroom Interventions (keepin’ it REAL), M.L.H. Writing—Review and editing, E.S. Funding Acquisition, J.D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research received no external funding.

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Total and differential white blood cell count in cannabis users: results from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2016

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Marijuana Legalization Protests on Trump’s Inauguration

Why i changed my mind on weed, the consequences of legalizing marijuana.

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Why Marijuana should be Legalized

The negative effects of using marijuana while pursuing a college education.

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Conservative New Jersey lawmaker wants to allow residents to grow marijuana

Legalizing marijuana: pros and cons, benefits and hazards of medical marijuana.

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What Is a Marijuana Essay

Let us start with the marijuana essay definition. What do we mean by this article? What should it look like?

Considering the name, this topic is rather understandable. It is usually a five-paragraph article that discusses medical uses, advantages or disadvantages, or other points concerning cannabis. This topic is rather controversial. So, you can choose your own perspective. Depending on what perspective you choose, make sure that you have scholarly articles and statistics to prove your point.

As it is an academic medicine essay , any student probably knows that the minimum length for such a paper is five paragraphs. Therefore, you have one paragraph of introduction, three paragraphs of the main body, and one of conclusion.

Marijuana Essay Examples Making Your Writing Stand Out

Here you can definitely find an excellent example of marijuana essay in pdf. However, we’re not here only for samples. We also have several tips that will be useful for you without further ado.

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how any student can write a medicinal marijuana essay.

• Check samples that a student can find here.
• Choose an appropriate topic. It should be narrow enough to discuss using students’ word count.
• Do proper research. Use only academic materials and resources.
• Create an outline.
• Start drafting, preferably from a thesis and the main body.
• Later you can finish your introduction and conclusion as they are very similar.
• Edit and proofread your article about cannabis!

As you can see, these steps are very easy and anyone can write a successful academic essay about this topic. But, please, don’t skip the steps of creating an outline and proofreading. They are crucial for the quality of the students’ work. Need some inspiration? Browse different examples we have on our platform, such as drugs essay or drinking and driving essay .

Medical Marijuana Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay on medical marijuana is the first type of article that we can discuss with you. You probably know how to write argumentative papers by now. Therefore, we will focus more on the topic itself. 

For instance, our argumentative essay about medical marijuana can discuss its legalization.

So our main argument is that cannabis can be legalized, especially for medical reasons. To develop a believable argument, you definitely must provide evidence.

Evidence can be taken from academic journals, newspapers, governmental websites, and other scholarly sources. Even if you’re sure that your argument is great, you should use evidence anyway. It will help you to prove it to your readers. Browse any example of argumentative essay to get some inspiration.

Medical Marijuana Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays on marijuana are the next type that you can definitely consider. As it is a controversial topic and many have mixed thoughts on it, you can work on persuading the audience. For instance, cannabis should be banned. 

Once more, there are those who are for legalization and those against it. Try considering both opinions and persuading people that your point of view is correct. Many students use evidence and statistics for persuasion. Do not forget that persuasive essay marijuana requires persuasive language. Even though it should be academic and professionally written, it should never be dry.

It is challenging to get the tone, academic voice, and persuasive essay format properly. So, students reach for our samples that were donated by other students.

Marijuana Essay Outline

Apart from samples, we also want to give you an outline for essay on medical marijuana . It is always good to remember that an outline is not an essay. So all evidence or information you use must be shortened. Moreover, students definitely include their thesis statements here. 

Example of marijuana essay outline

Introduction

• Include statistics on how many people have prescriptions for medical cannabis.
• Mention that legalization is very popular now and not only in the United States.
• Thesis: Legal cannabis helps greatly with pain, yet might have several negative effects.
• What countries continue legalizing hemp.
• Uses of hemp for medical purposes.
• Possible negative effects of hemp on the human body.
• Even though there are several negative effects of hemp, a lot of countries vote for its legalization.
• Summarize a topic and close with a final statement.

Students should definitely create their own outlines because it will save them lots of time during writing. It also makes an overall article possess a better quality. 

Marijuana Essay Introduction

The introduction for marijuana essay is the first thing that readers see. However, we do recommend students write an introduction after an outline. Before, prepare a draft of the main body as well. Introduction was proven to be more clear and concise after students already have other parts, except for conclusion. 

Introduction normally consists of a hook, background, and thesis statement. These are crucial elements to any introduction. As we are talking about a specific topic,  students can mention general statistics in their introduction. Say how many people use medical cannabis there. Later they can talk about the origin of this herb and present their main argument.

As you will see from our donated samples, our introduction captures attention. But you should never be afraid of it!

Example of introduction to marijuana essay Environmental strategies are broadly applied in the prevention of substance abuse. Moreover, the strategies are mostly a necessity of the program for prevention for beneficiaries of public health aid. The strategies are geared towards fostering personal behavior change. Approaches based on the environment can be applied at the levels of the community as well as national and regional level. The approach involves community mobilization, community connectedness, and neighborhood changes, policy changes, communication campaigns and changes in enforcement.

Marijuana Essay Thesis Statement

Medical marijuana thesis will present the main arguments and points to students. These arguments will further be discussed in body paragraphs. However, the thesis should always be concise, clear, and informative enough to understand the overall purpose of students’ articles. 

If your essay uses three separate points to prove your argument, one’s thesis should reflect that. We will give you a good sample so you can see everything for yourself. In any case, you can try our easy-to-use thesis generator free any time.

Marijuana thesis statement

Cannabis is widely known for its medical uses, including pain relief. Yet, there are countries that vote against its legalization because of its accessibility, negative effects, and connection with drug use. 

Marijuana Essay Body Paragraph

We have finally come to a marijuana essay paragraph. If you wrote articles before, you know that each paragraph requires at least three sentences. If you write a five-paragraph article, the main body takes up to 80% of the overall work. So, you have lots of opportunities and places to use evidence. It helps properly develop your argument too.

If students write a persuasive or argumentative article, they should definitely start their paragraphs with an outline. It is one of the best ways to keep track of evidence and focus on the main point. Otherwise, students might get lost in all the resources they have found prior. You will see that donated examples are clear and understandable. It is all because every sample contains its outline. 

Example of marijuana essay body paragraph

The existing strategy on enhancing evidence-based approach and policies, and improving the usage of environmental level mechanisms, has influenced leaders of the community to consider direct decision making. The direct decision making should be based on applicable environmental approaches. Also, community leaders should put an effort in matching particular environmental approaches towards the hindrance of specific substances. For example, heroin and cocaine or patterns of substance use for instance conspicuous periodic consumption.  

Marijuana Essay Conclusion

The final part of any article is obviously a conclusion for marijuana essay. We always recommend students write a conclusion right after they have finished their introduction. In several ways, both parts are very similar to one another. So, combining and finishing them together saves students lots of time. 

A normal conclusion has 10% of the overall word count. It also consists of a rephrased thesis statement, a quick summary, and a closing statement.

Closing statements are usually the most important parts of any conclusion. It is up to students what they want to write there. We usually advise thinking about the importance of their topic. Research on how other thoughts can be used by other people. 

Marijuana essay conclusion examples

Maybe just as important as what is available in the existing literature is what is lacking. Due to the wide difference in norms of the culture, laws of the country and local policies regarding marijuana usage, the prevention sector is lacking some consensus on what method of non-medical usage of marijuana is challenging, for whom as well as on what basis.  Rates of marijuana usage and relationships of marijuana usage resulting from certain countrywide research do not justify for marijuana usage as lawfully recommended for medical reasons, for instance, the Countrywide Survey on Drug Consumption and Wellbeing. Thus, it results in an attempt to scrutinize the effect of laws on medical marijuana and other related policies regarding medicinal usage on rates of general consumption.

Marijuana Essay Topics That Will Blow Your Mind

Are you looking for a marijuana topic that will make time spent on writing about them worth it? We have lots of them here. They will inspire you to write your own article. Besides, you are not obliged to use them word for word. Experiment, change, and be inspired.

Marijuana argumentative essay topics

• Should cannabis be decriminalized?
• What are the possible consequences of cannabis?
• Advantages and disadvantages of prescribing medical cannabis.
• The economic value of cannabis.
• Correlation between cannabis and violence.
• Possible effects of hemp on mental and physical health.
• What country might benefit from cannabis legalization most at this time?
• Netherlands: Lessons to learn on legalization.
• Should hemp be allowed for individuals younger than 18 years old?
• Cannabis as a powerful pain reliever: Hidden disadvantages. 

We hope these topics will inspire you to start writing right away!

FAQ About Medical Marijuana Essays

Yes! All our free marijuana essays don’t require payments or credit cards. We have mentioned this before, but they were donated by other students. That is why we tried sharing them with as many people as we can. Therefore, you don’t need to register, fill in personal information or deal with hidden fees and payments. Use this service as much as you need and as many times as required.

An essay about marijuana often discusses the advantages and disadvantages of cannabis. There must be a solid reason why cannabis is legalized in several countries, including the United States. Here are some benefits students can include in their article:

• Reduces stress and anxiety.
• Relieves pain.
• Destroys cancer cells.

Students can start with these benefits for their article.

It is an article that discusses the positive and negative effects of marijuana essay. Cannabis has both effects on the human body. Students will find these ones to be mentioned in academic articles:

• Pain relief
• Heightened senses
• Distorted sense of time
• Lowered motor skills.

We are sure, there are many more than students can research on their own. These are just several ideas to start with.

Essays on marijuana normally start with a hook. It is the first sentence of the introduction. This hook can be anything. In this case, students can, for instance, mention how many countries legalized this herb for medical procedures. As long as it draws attention, hooks can be a lot of things. Rhetorical questions are also popular.

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2018 Theses Doctoral

Essays on Cannabis Legalization

Thomas, Danna Kang

Though the drug remains illegal at the federal level, in recent years states and localities have increasingly liberalized their marijuana laws in order to generate tax revenue and save resources on marijuana law enforcement. Many states have adopted some form of medical marijuana and/or marijuana decriminalization laws, and as of 2017, Washington, Colorado, Maine, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada, Alaska, and the District of Columbia have all legalized marijuana for recreational use. In 2016 recreational marijuana generated over $1.8 billion in sales. Hence, studying marijuana reforms and the policies and outcomes of early recreational marijuana adopters is an important area of research. However, perhaps due to the fact that legalized recreational cannabis is a recent phenomenon, a scarcity of research exists on the impacts of recreational cannabis legalization and the efficacy and efficiency of cannabis regulation. This dissertation aims to fill this gap, using the Washington recreational marijuana market as the primary setting to study cannabis legalization in the United States. Of first order importance in the regulation of sin goods such as cannabis is quantifying the value of the marginal damages of negative externalities. Hence, Chapter 1 (co-authored with Lin Tian) explores the impact of marijuana dispensary location on neighborhood property values, exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in marijuana retailer location. Policymakers and advocates have long expressed concerns that the positive effects of the legalization--e.g., increases in tax revenue--are well spread spatially, but the negative effects are highly localized through channels such as crime. Hence, we use changes in property values to measure individuals' willingness to pay to avoid localized externalities caused by the arrival of marijuana dispensaries. Our key identification strategy is to compare changes in housing sales around winners and losers in a lottery for recreational marijuana retail licenses. (Due to location restrictions, license applicants were required to provide an address of where they would like to locate.) Hence, we have the locations of both actual entrants and potential entrants, which provides a natural difference-in-differences set-up. Using data from King County, Washington, we find an almost 2.4% decrease in the value of properties within a 0.5 mile radius of an entrant, a $9,400 decline in median property values. The aforementioned retail license lottery was used to distribute licenses due to a license quota. Retail license quotas are often used by states to regulate entry into sin goods markets as quotas can restrict consumption by decreasing access and by reducing competition (and, therefore, increasing markups). However, license quotas also create allocative inefficiency. For example, license quotas are often based on the population of a city or county. Hence, licenses are not necessarily allocated to the areas where they offer the highest marginal benefit. Moreover, as seen in the case of the Washington recreational marijuana market, licenses are often distributed via lottery, meaning that in the absence of an efficiency secondary market for licenses, the license recipients are not necessarily the most efficient potential entrants. This allocative inefficiency is generated by heterogeneity in firms and consumers. Therefore, in Chapter 2, I develop a model of demand and firm pricing in order to investigate firm-level heterogeneity and inefficiency. Demand is differentiated by geography and incorporates consumer demographics. I estimate this demand model using data on firm sales from Washington. Utilizing the estimates and firm pricing model, I back out a non-parametric distribution of firm variable costs. These variable costs differ by product and firm and provide a measure of firm inefficiency. I find that variable costs have lower inventory turnover; hence, randomly choosing entrants in a lottery could be a large contributor to allocative inefficiency. Chapter 3 explores the sources of allocative inefficiency in license distribution in the Washington recreational marijuana market. A difficulty in studying the welfare effects of license quotas is finding credible counterfactuals of unrestricted entry. Therefore, I take a structural approach: I first develop a three stage model that endogenizes firm entry and incorporates the spatial demand and pricing model discussed in Chapter 2. Using the estimates of the demand and pricing model, I estimate firms' fixed costs and use data on locations of those potential entrants that did not win Washington's retail license lottery to simulate counterfactual entry patterns. I find that allowing firms to enter freely at Washington's current marijuana tax rate increases total surplus by 21.5% relative to a baseline simulation of Washington's license quota regime. Geographic misallocation and random allocation of licenses account for 6.6\% and 65.9\% of this difference, respectively. Moreover, as the primary objective of these quotas is to mitigate the negative externalities of marijuana consumption, I study alternative state tax policies that directly control for the marginal damages of marijuana consumption. Free entry with tax rates that keep the quantity of marijuana or THC consumed equal to baseline consumption increases welfare by 6.9% and 11.7%, respectively. I also explore the possibility of heterogeneous marginal damages of consumption across geography, backing out the non-uniform sales tax across geography that is consistent with Washington's license quota policy. Free entry with a non-uniform sales tax increases efficiency by over 7% relative to the baseline simulation of license quotas due to improvements in license allocation.

• Cannabis--Law and legislation
• Marijuana industry
• Drug legalization
• Drugs--Economic aspects

More About This Work

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NIH Research on Cannabis and Cannabinoids

The NIH supports a broad portfolio of research on cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system. This research portfolio includes some studies utilizing the whole marijuana plant ( Cannabis sativa ), but most studies focus on individual cannabinoid compounds. Individual cannabinoid chemicals may be isolated and purified from the marijuana plant or synthesized in the laboratory, or they may be naturally occurring (endogenous) cannabinoids found in the body.

Cannabinoids are classified here as:

• Phytocannabinoids – cannabinoids found in leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds collected from the  Cannabis sativa  plant.
• Endogenous  – cannabinoids made by the body: examples include N -arachidonoylethanolamine or anandamide (AE) or 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG).  AE and 2-AG activity can be manipulated by inhibiting their corresponding hydrolases FAAH or MAGL, preventing their degradation.
• Purified naturally occurring cannabinoids purified from plant sources:  examples include cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),.
• Synthetic cannabinoids synthesized in a laboratory: examples include CB1 agonists (CPP-55, ACPA), CB2 agonists (JWH-133, NMP7, AM1241), CB1/CB2 nonselective agonist (CP55940), ajulemic acid (AJA), nabilone, and dronabinol.

There is considerable interest in the possible therapeutic uses of marijuana and its constituent compounds (see NIDA's DrugFacts, Is Marijuana Medicine? ). In 2015, the NIH developed three reporting categories to describe the research efforts underway to examine the chemical, physiological, and therapeutic properties of cannabinoids and the physiological systems they affect.

• Cannabinoid Research reports the total NIH investment in all cannabinoid research including basic research, animal and human preclinical studies, and clinical research. Studies examining cannabis use disorder and societal/health impacts due to changing marijuana laws and policies are also included. Studies examine all classes of cannabinoids (purified, synthetic, endogenous, phytocannabinoids), molecules that modify their concentration or activity (e.g. FAAH inhibitors), as well as the physiological systems they target (e.g. endocannabinoid system).
• Cannabidiol Research – subset of the Cannabinoid Research category that reports all NIH projects examining basic, preclinical, and therapeutic properties of CBD .
• Therapeutic Cannabinoid Research – subset of the Cannabinoid Research category (above) that reports all NIH projects examining the therapeutic properties of all classes of cannabinoids (purified, synthetic, endogenous, phytocannabinoids).

These categories are publically accessible on the NIH Categorical Spending website and will be updated annually.

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5 facts about americans and sports.

Many Americans participate in sports in some way, whether they play, cheer on their favorite teams or gamble on outcomes.

Ahead of March Madness – the annual men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments – here are five facts about Americans’ experiences with and interest in sports, drawn from Pew Research Center surveys.

Ahead of this year’s NCAA Division I basketball tournaments, Pew Research Center explored Americans’ experiences with and interest in sports.

This analysis is based on recent Center surveys. Links to these surveys, including information about the field dates, sample sizes and other methodological details, are available in the text.

About half of Americans (48%) say they took part in organized, competitive sports in high school or college, according to a February 2022 Center survey . This includes 39% who participated in high school, 2% who participated in college and 7% who participated at both levels.

Men are more likely than women to say they played high school or college sports (56% vs. 41%).

There are also notable age differences among women: Adults under 50 are more likely than their older counterparts to have played high school or college sports (48% vs. 33%). These age differences among women may be partly due to Title IX , which became law in 1972. The law prohibits schools that receive federal funding from discriminating based on sex – including in the athletic opportunities they provide.

Most Americans who played sports in high school or college say their athletic experiences improved their physical health and confidence, according to the same survey. Some 82% of adults who played sports say doing so had a very or somewhat positive impact on their physical health, including 46% who say it had a very positive impact. And 79% say playing sports had a positive impact on their confidence or self-esteem, with 38% saying it had a very positive impact.

A smaller share of these Americans say playing sports had a positive impact on their job or career opportunities. Still, the share who say this far outpaces the share who say it had a negative impact (44% vs. 3%).

In all three areas – physical health, confidence and job opportunities – former college athletes are more likely than former high school athletes to say that playing sports had a very positive impact.

Nearly four-in-ten Americans (38%) follow professional or college sports at least somewhat closely, according to a 2023 Center survey . This includes 16% who follow sports extremely or very closely. And 7% of U.S. adults are what might be called “superfans”: They follow sports extremely or very closely and talk about sports with other people at least daily.

About seven-in-ten Americans who follow sports at least somewhat closely say a major reason they do so is to cheer for a specific team or teams (71%) or to be entertained (69%). Much smaller shares say a major reason is to cheer for a specific player or players (32%), because someone in their family follows sports (23%), or for one of the other reasons included in the survey.

Still, a majority of Americans (62%) say they follow sports not too or not at all closely. Among this group, 69% say a major reason they don’t follow sports is that they’re just not interested.

When asked to choose one sport as “America’s sport,” more than half of U.S. adults (53%) choose football, according to the same survey . Another 27% say it’s baseball, while 8% pick basketball, 3% pick soccer, 3% choose auto racing and 1% choose hockey.

Football is the most common choice in every major demographic group, but there are some differences by race and ethnicity. For example, White Americans are more likely than those in other racial and ethnic groups to say baseball is America’s sport. Hispanic Americans are more likely than others to pick soccer, and Black and Asian Americans are more likely to choose basketball.

In a July 2022 Center survey , 19% of Americans said they had bet money on sports in the past year. This includes betting with friends and family, in person at a casino or other gambling venue, or online with a betting app. Men, adults under 50, and Black and Hispanic adults were particularly likely to say they’d bet on sports in the previous year.

The survey was conducted more than four years after the Supreme Court effectively  legalized commercial sports betting in the United States . Most adults (57%) said the legalization of sports betting in much of the country was neither a good nor bad thing for society, while 34% said it was a bad thing. Only 8% said it was a good thing.

Despite the widespread availability of commercial sports gambling today, betting rarely motivates people to follow sports , according to our 2023 survey. Among those who follow sports at least somewhat closely, 83% say betting is not a reason for doing so. Another 12% say betting is a minor reason they follow sports, and just 4% say it’s a major reason.

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Most Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana for Medical, Recreational Use

By a wide margin, americans say football – not baseball – is ‘america’s sport’, among black adults, those with higher incomes are most likely to say they are happy, about 1 in 10 restaurants in the u.s. serve mexican food, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .