Alberta hospitalization study found no increase attributable to legalization
Cohort study with interrupted time series analysis
Published May 19, 2024 · Verified Oct 10, 2026
Study overview
Researchers examined Alberta adults across periods before legalization, after flower legalization and after legalization of edibles, extracts and topicals. They did not identify increased hospitalization risk associated with legalization in either younger or older adult groups.
Evidence & interpretation
A cohort of 3,493,864 adults. Rising hospitalization rates in younger adults were present before legalization, illustrating why baseline trends matter in policy evaluation.
Limitations
Observational findings from one province and the period October 2015 to May 2021. Changes in services, coding, markets and other policies can influence trends; this does not establish that cannabis use is harmless.
Original citation
Journal of Addictive Diseases / PubMed ↗
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