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Marijuana Legalization and Suicides Among Older Adults

Sara Markowitz & Katie Leinenbach

Health Economics2026https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.70104article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

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 suicide 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.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.70104

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@article{sara2026,
  title        = {{Marijuana Legalization and Suicides Among Older Adults}},
  author       = {Sara Markowitz & Katie Leinenbach},
  journal      = {Health Economics},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.70104},
}

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Marijuana Legalization and Suicides Among Older Adults

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.