Social Big Data as a Tool for Understanding and Predicting the Impact of Cannabis Legalization.

Abstract

After alcohol and tobacco, cannabis is the most commonly used substance in the United States (U.S.), with 8.9% of individuals ages 12 and older reporting past-month use (1). Cannabis policy is currently undergoing a historic change in the United States. Though cannabis is illegal under federal law, 29 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) now allow medical use, and since 2012, eight states and D.C. have passed laws permitting non-medical use (2). In California, voters approved non-medical use of cannabis through a ballot initiative in November 2016. With a population of nearly 40 million, California has a larger population than the other states with legalized non-medical use combined (3). Because of its size, California may offer an unprecedented opportunity to examine the consequences of legalization, and to glean lessons about legalization's impacts that will be essential as policymakers and regulators in other states (and potentially at the federal level) consider cannabis legalization in the future. In this article, we highlight our viewpoint on some of the major lessons about cannabis legalization that can be learned in California, and how big data can be used to generate knowledge about cannabis legalization's impact on public health and safety.