CORVALLIS, Ore. – A statewide study of more than 60,000 adult Oregonians links living near cannabis retail stores with more frequent cannabis use but a lower likelihood of heavy alcohol consumption.
Led by Oregon State University (OSU) scientist David Kerr, researchers examined nine years of data from an ongoing Oregon Health Authority telephone survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Survey participants’ proximity to dispensaries was determined by comparing their ZIP codes to addresses of licensed retailers.
“The bottom line is that Oregonians who lived near more licensed cannabis retailers, and in closer proximity to them, were more likely to use cannabis tn or more days per month than people living in areas with fewer retailers,” said Kerr, a professor of psychological science in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts. “Another key finding was that adults living closer to cannabis retailers were less likely to report heavy drinking.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define heavy drinking as eight or more drinks per week for women and fifteen or more for men.
Kerr, who collaborated with OSU graduate student Haley Hummel and Multnomah County’s Julia Dilley and Erik Everson, observed that both effects — more cannabis use and less alcohol — were most pronounced in two age groups: people ages 21–24 and those 65 and older.
In the younger group, Kerr said, the brain is still developing, including parts of the brain sensitive to the toxic effects of cannabis. He said ages 21–24 compose the peak onset period for cannabis use disorder, which involves the continued use of cannabis despite negative consequences such as social or interpersonal problems; failure to fulfill obligations at home, school, or work; and using cannabis under physically dangerous circumstances such as while operating a motor vehicle.
At the other end of the age spectrum, he said, perceptions about the risk of regular cannabis use have decreased in recent years, especially among people with chronic diseases who may use cannabis for medicinal purposes in ways that aren’t evidence-based or that introduce new health risks.
“It’s a complicated picture,” Kerr said. “Because cannabis is considered effective for certain conditions like chronic pain, it poses less risk than opioids, and less drinking is better for your health than more drinking.”
Retail sales of recreational cannabis products in Oregon began in 2015. State law allows counties and cities to ban retail cannabis operations, but county bans apply only to unincorporated areas.
“Retail access to cannabis products can be regulated through an array of approaches and enacted at different levels of government,” Kerr said. “Careful consideration should be given to policies and prevention efforts that balance the goals of cannabis legalization against potential harms.”
The research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Findings will be published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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