Marijuana Legalization and Suicides Among Older Adults

Sara Markowitz and Katie E. Leinenbach

No 34519, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Suicide rates among older adults have been rising over time in the United States. At the same time, more individuals have been suffering with chronic pain and illness, which are often underlying risk factors for suicide. As self-medication with marijuana has become common, we ask whether access to legal marijuana for medical and recreational purposes reduces suicides rates among older individuals. We find that suicide rates among older age groups decline following the opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries, especially among older Whites, and middle-aged White males and females with low levels of education.

JEL-codes: I0 K0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age and nep-hea
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