LEGALIZATION IS HARM REDUCTION –
Aug. 9, 2022 – However, those numbers may now be declining in states in which the use of recreational marijuana is permitted, said Tracy Klein, assistant director for the Center for Cannabis Policy, Research and Outreach at Washington State University in Vancouver, Washington.
She’s the lead author of a study that found calls to poison centers about synthetic cannabinoid fell by more than a third between 2016 and 2019 in states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. “These products are made in a powdered format and could be sprayed on or added to something that looks exactly like natural cannabis. So, in a party situation, I could see that someone could use this unintentionally,” said Klein, who is also an associate professor in the WSU College of Nursing.
However, people may also use synthetic cannabinoids “to attempt to avoid positive drug screens performed as a condition of employment, in substance abuse treatment programs, or in the criminal justice system,”…
