Apis Coverage of Recreational Cannabis Policy

Introduction:

The Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), a project of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), is a website providing scholars with authoritative, detailed, and comparable cross-sectional and longitudinal quantitative data about State and Federal alcohol and recreational cannabis policies in the U.S.

Methods:

All data come from original legal research performed by trained and experienced legal researchers. Each APIS policy topic includes: narrative descriptions of the policy; definitions of the variables used; relevant Federal law; tables comparing policies on topics topic across jurisdictions cross-sectionally and longitudinally; explanations of variables used; notes explaining limitations of the information provided; charts and maps of each policy topic; statutory and regulatory citations; and references. All tables are downloadable into statistical software.

Results:

The APIS cross-sectional and longitudinal data on Cannabis include these variables:

1. Recreational Use Legalized
2. Regulatory Agency or Agencies in each jurisdiction
3. Product Types Permitted
4. Cultivation Restrictions
5. Retail Sales Permitted
6. Pricing Controls Imposed
7. Tax Imposed
8. Underage Prohibitions
9. Impaired Driving Prohibitions
10. Extent of Local Authority

Upcoming APIS policy topics on Cannabis include:

1. Vertical Integration Prohibited
2. Industry Makeup (government/nonprofit/private)
3. Tracking System Requirements
4. Use of Pesticides
5. Warning Requirements (health and safety)
6. Packaging Requirements
7. Advertising Restrictions
8. Public Consumption Restrictions
9. Home Delivery Restrictions
10. Open Container Restrictions

Conclusions:

APIS was developed to encourage and facilitate research on the effects and effectiveness of alcohol and cannabis-related public policies in the U.S.

With the upcoming policy topics, APIS will offer twenty cannabis variables on recreational cannabis. This information will assist researchers in addressing the wide range of public health issues that accompany legalization of cannabis.