Data on suicides was gathered from the National Vital Statistics System on individuals 15 years of age and older for 1990-2007. The objective was to determine any association between suicide and medical marijuana (cannabis) legalization.
Researchers made adjustments for economic conditions, state policies, and state specific linear time trends. Since it is known that males respond to cannabinoids differently than females, and that there are distinct age patterns to substance use, the regression analysis focused on medical marijuana legalization and the association of suicides by age and gender.
The authors of this study state in their conclusion that: “Suicides among men aged 20 through 39 years fell after medical marijuana legalization compared with those in states that did not legalize. The negative relationship between legalization and suicides among young men is consistent with the hypothesis that marijuana can be used to cope with stressful life events.”
