Marijuana Moment: Legal Marijuana Access Reduces Suicide Rates For Older Adults, New Study Suggests

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States that opened recreational marijuana dispensaries saw suicide rates decline among older adults, according to a new scientific analysis of more than two decades of nationwide data. Correlating state legalization to the decline, the researchers note a “modest yet statistically significant reduction” in states with legal access to cannabis.

The research, conducted by a team of public health economists, examined monthly suicide counts from U.S. states between 2000 and 2022. Their aim was to better understand whether easier access to marijuana, specifically through licensed retail stores, might have any measurable effect on mental health outcomes. Their working paper, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, shows that may be the case.

The study found that in states where recreational cannabis dispensaries began operating, suicide rates among adults ages 45 and older declined. The effect was strongest among men, who historically have had significantly higher suicide rates and are more likely to use cannabis to manage chronic pain, a health challenge that increases the risk of suicide.

“Given that older adults are more prone to chronic pain and various physical and mental health issues, it is not surprising that this demographic is increasingly turning to marijuana for its medicinal properties,” the paper noted.

The researchers found no similar pattern among younger adults or in states that legalized recreational cannabis but had not yet opened retail stores. That distinction, they say, suggests that actual access to marijuana, rather than legalization via state law changes alone, may be the more influential factor.

“We find that suicide rates among older age groups decline following the opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries.”

The researchers did not find evidence that cannabis availability increased suicides, a concern raised by opponents who have claimed that legalization leads to rising rates of cannabis use and worsening mental health trends among young people.

The authors also address the risk factors for suicide and the therapeutic benefits of cannabis in addressing those underlying factors. “The focus on pain as an underlying cause of suicide is under recognized in the literature and adds an important dimension to the policy discussion,” they wrote.

The study also arrives at a time when suicide rates in the U.S. remain near historic highs, especially among middle-aged and older adults. Though the decline associated with dispensary openings was modest, the authors argue that even small improvements deserve attention.

The paper, which was not peer reviewed, was authored by Dr. Sara Markowitz of Emory University and Katie E. Leinenbach of Demand Side Analytics.

“Although further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms driving these effects, these results point to one potential benefit of legalized recreational marijuana,” they wrote.

“These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the public health impacts of marijuana legalization, offering evidence that recreational dispensary openings may play a role in reducing suicides among older adults, particularly in vulnerable subgroups,” the paper concludes.

To account for variables aside from state marijuana legalization, the authors also explored—and dismissed—other potential causes. Their models factored in “the real beer tax, real cigarette tax and three opioid-centric policies: initial prescription limits, pill mill laws and prescription drug monitoring programs,” they wrote.

The study comes as more robust research is being conducted related to cannabis legalization and older adults.

Earlier this year, scientists found that marijuana users have “superior performance across multiple cognitive domains,” according to a new large-scale study funded by the U.S. federal government, with the effects of cannabis on cognition “presented concurrently across a range of brain systems” and was based on data from 37,929 participants in the United Kingdom aged between 44 and 81 years old. The team found that cannabis consumers consistently outperformed non-users on a range of cognitive tests—suggesting that marijuana use may be linked to brain network patterns typically observed in younger individuals.

This new study also comes on the heels of a study of more than 5,000 men whom researchers evaluated over the course of 44 years, finding that “no significant harmful effects of cannabis use on age-related cognitive decline.” In fact, the report says, “Men with a history of cannabis use had less cognitive decline from early adulthood to midlife compared to men without a history of cannabis use.”

Photo courtesy of Max Jackson.

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