A statewide study of more than 60,000 adult Oregonians shows that living near cannabis retail stores is associated with a greater tendency toward frequent cannabis use but a lower likelihood of heavy alcohol consumption.
The research led by Oregon State University scientist David Kerr looked at nine years of data from an ongoing telephone survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System directed by the Oregon Health Authority.
Participants in the survey didn’t need to know the locations of cannabis stores around them; that information was determined by linking participants’ ZIP codes with 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 10 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 15 or more for men.
Read the full article at Oregon State University
