Abstract Aim Cannabis, unlike other illicit drugs, possesses medical properties. This unique characteristic necessitates a distinction between its clinical and legal status, prompting an inquiry into the nature of the relationship between these two dimensions. Countries are adopting one of three clinical policies regarding medical use (opposition, pharmaceuticalization, and medicalization) and one of three legal regimes regarding recreational use (prohibition, decriminalization, and legalization). This study examines the correlation between the clinical policy and the legal regime for cannabis in European countries. Subject and methods We used data from 39 European countries to classify every country’s clinical policy and legal regime. Then, we employed chi-squared and Spearman correlation tests to assess the relationships between the clinical and legal dimensions. Results The chi-squared test results indicate a strong and statistically significant relationship between the clinical policy for cannabis and the legal regime for recreational cannabis (p < 0.01). Spearman correlation test results also reveal a positive, strong, and significant relationship (p < 0.001). We found that medicalization as a clinical policy is associated with decriminalization as a legal regime (68% of medicalization countries decriminalize recreational use). Conclusion This study proposes a novel perspective that separates the concepts of medicalization and legalization, challenging previous assumptions about their interconnectedness. We argue that medicalization and decriminalization of cannabis are closely associated, likely because decriminalization facilitates patient access and fosters a medical cannabis market while avoiding the extremes of prohibition or full-scale legalization. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of cannabis policy development in Europe and suggest that policymakers should consider the complex interplay between clinical and legal approaches when formulating cannabis policies. This research provides valuable insights for future policy discussions and highlights the need for further investigation into the long-term implications of these policy choices.

Abstract Aim Despite the huge investment in reducing cases of teenage pregnancy in South Africa, the incidence remains high. Interventions are targeted at girls with minimal consideration for the men who father children with teenagers. Our study aimed to profile the men who have children born to teenage mothers. Subject and methods We used South Africa’s Recorded Live Births 1998–2021 dataset containing cumulative live birth registrations recorded by Statistics South Africa. The birth notifications are received from the Department of Home Affairs. Our sample consisted of N = 97,161 registered births for mothers 19 years and younger for births which occurred between 2016 and 2020 with father information available. Results Majority of men who fathered children with teenage girls were between the ages of 20 and 29 years (89.70%); teenage girls are having children fathered by older men, with an average six-year age gap. For every unit increase of mothers’ age, so too the odds of having children with an older father—our findings show 36% reduced odds (adjusted odds ratio 0.54) for a 12-year-old mother having a child with a non-peer father and double the odds (adjusted odds ratio 1.84) for an 18-year-old mother having a child with an older father. The odds of teenage girls having children with older men increased annually and were saturated in rural provinces and district municipalities in South Africa. Conclusion Our study provided a geographic and age profile of men who father children with teenage girls in the country which should be used as a starting point for programmes directed at men to augment interventions to make an accelerated dent in teenage pregnancy cases in the country.