Cannabis legalization is fueling a wave of new products—but not the research to back them up, according to a recent study.
A paper published in the International Journal of Industrial Organization found that while legalization seems to increase innovation in the realm of commercial cannabis products, it had no impact on medical studies.
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By comparing state-level data on cannabis-related patent applications and clinical trials with policy changes in those states, the researchers, who were from UMass Amherst, saw that cannabis legalization tripled cannabis-related patent filings. However, neither recreational nor medical legalization had a statistically significant impact on cannabis-related clinical trial registrations, which would allow scientists to study cannabis as a treatment or its effects on human health.
According to the paper, recreational legalization resulted in approximately 4.4 additional patent applications per state annually. The increase in patent filings was concentrated in products and methods, like vapes, edibles, or production techniques.
The research suggests that legalization makes the market more inventive and drives commercial growth, but it also does not generate the science needed to guide evidence-based use. The system that gives companies incentives to create new products people can buy does not strongly encourage the slower work of clinical research.
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Previously, cannabis’s designation as a Schedule I narcotic was a major roadblock to scientific study. But with certain types of cannabis moving to Schedule III, barriers to plant-related research should ease. An order signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche states that cannabis researchers won’t be penalized for obtaining state-licensed marijuana or marijuana-derived products for use in their work.
The UMass Amherst indicated the playing field between product innovation and scientific inquiry must be leveled, which it might if rescheduling holds.
“As our results suggest, the creation of cannabis products appears to outpace available science, and more clinical research is urgently needed to understand the broad variety of cannabis products on the market and the formulations, potency, and dosing to promote safe cannabis use,” the researchers wrote.