SUDBURY, Mass. — Cannabis Public Policy Consulting (CPPC) has released the spring 2022 pilot report of its Regulatory Determinants of Cannabis Outcomes Survey (RDCOS). The RDCOS will be a quarterly survey that provides the largest and most comprehensive data set to date on trends in cannabis policy, market and health outcomes. CPPC is recognized as a data-forward leader in the field of cannabis legalization.
“Through our work with more than a dozen clients to develop safe and effective cannabis regulation, it became very clear to our team that there is a significant gap in the data available on the cannabis industry,” said Mackenzie Slade, director of CPPC. “The RDCOS is CPPC’s original research initiative that aims to solve that gap. With this data, policymakers, governments, institutions and ancillary businesses will be better equipped to improve regulations and cannabis legalization to drive better economic, social and public health outcomes.”
The pilot report presents initial findings among 13,000 U.S. residents ages 16 and older from the general population in states with legal cannabis laws. It showed that 39% of individuals 16 years of age and older in legal cannabis states are estimated to have used cannabis in the past month. This estimate is much higher than previously thought. It suggests that the United States is rapidly approaching 100 million residents who use cannabis at least monthly. Despite trends toward lower illicit sales in legal cannabis states, the RDCOS shows there is still plenty of work to be done on curbing illicit markets.
“The RDCOS will be issued three more times in 2022,” says Dr. Michael Sofis, director of Research and Products. “The quarterly cycle increases our sample size, and therefore the validity and accuracy of the findings. The quarterly cycle also enables us to understand outcomes as they relate to time periods and cannabis production cycles, and allows us to keep pace with the speed of outcome changes. By far and wide, this survey is the most comprehensive scientific surveillance, and causal analysis, of cannabis outcomes.”
CPPC will use the RDCOS as a data source for its Cannabis Policy Simulation Lab. It is the only predictive modeling tool that identifies the outcomes, contingencies, and dependencies of future state-level cannabis legislation.
CPPC was established by public health professionals and former controlled substance regulators to embed advanced data science and public health expertise in cannabis policymaking to protect public health and safety, promote equity and increase cannabis industry sustainability. Learn more at https://www.cannabispublicpolicyconsulting.com/.
