Substitution effect is a theory originating from behavioral economics that examines how the availability of one good can impact and influence the use of other goods. In regards to substance use, Hursh et al. (2005) suggest that “pharmacological therapies for the treatment of drug abuse can also be conceptualized as alternative commodities that either substitute for illicit drug use (e.g., agonist therapy) or reduce the potency of illicit drugs directly (e.g., narcotic antagonist therapy).”
There is more evidence regarding adults having access to medical and recreational cannabis, and its positive impacts on public safety and health, mostly as a result of substitution effect. Population-level research shows how legal access to cannabis, both medical and recreational, in
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In addition, suicides have seen a reduction where some sort of cannabis has been legalized (Anderson DM, Rees DI, Sabia JJ, 2014). Even more good news is that auto-related fatalities are lower in these locations with legal cannabis (Santaella-Tenorio J, Mauro C, Wall M., Kim J., Cerdá M., Keyes K., et al., 2014). These numbers are all directly related to declines in alcohol use. Furthermore, epidemiological research shows that the introduction of medical cannabis programs has been associated with reducing the use of opioids and subsequent morbidity and mortality rates in the US. Bachhuber et al reports, “the U.S. States with medical cannabis laws, including Oregon, had almost a 25% lower opioid overdose mortality rate compared to states without medical cannabis laws.” Also, a 2016 study reports that, “the number of Medicare prescriptions for seniors in medical cannabis states dropped for other prescriptions that treat depression, anxiety, nausea, pain, seizures, eating and