A study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center (BMC) has found that cannabis use among young adults in the country of Georgia did not increase following legalisation.
The use of cannabis was legalised for adults over the age of 21 in 2018, making Georgia the second country in the world to do so, following Uruguay. The possession of up to 10 grams was decriminalised, while the production and sale of cannabis remains illegal.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction, analysed data from nationwide surveys on adult cannabis consumption conducted in 2015 and again in 2022 – 3 years before and 4 years after the laws changed in 2018.
Despite having easier access, the results of the surveys showed that the percentage of young adults consuming cannabis did not increase significantly after changes in legislation. The study also showed that the age of first use increased after legalisation – with the average age increasing from 18 in 2015 to 19 in 2022.
“We saw that a country can carefully legalize cannabis use, without a surge in use in the mid-term,” the study authors said. “It would be reasonable to additionally actively regulate and control production and distribution, to restrict black market, control the quality of products while keeping populations, particularly young people, safe.”
Georgia, a socially conservative nation in Eastern Europe, borders countries such as Turkey and Russia and is known for traditionally imposing strict punishments for substance use. Before a series of law changes in 2018, roughly 16% of adults in Georgia had tried cannabis at least once in their lifetime. The results of the study present a useful example of balancing public liberty and public health interests, the authors suggested.
“This research provides crucial scientific evidence to inform the ongoing discussions surrounding the impact of cannabis legalization, particularly its limited effect on usage rates among emerging adults. The findings offer a critical contribution to both local and international discourse on drug policy and public health,” said Irma Kirtadze, MD, PhD, from Ilia State University in Georgia.
