%A Vincenzo Carrieri
%A Leonardo Madio
%A Francesco Principe
%J Journal of Health Economics
%T Do-It-Yourself medicine? The impact of light cannabis liberalization on prescription drugs
%X Governments worldwide are increasingly concerned about the booming use of CBD (cannabidiol)
products. However, we know little about the impact of their liberalization. We study a unique case of
unintended liberalization of a CBD-based product (light cannabis) that occurred in Italy in 2017.
Using unique and high-frequency data on prescription drug sales and by exploiting the staggered local
availability of the new product in each Italian province, we document a significant substitution effect
between light cannabis and anxiolytics, sedatives, opioids, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics.
Results are informative for regulators and suggest that bans on light cannabis use would disregard the
needs of patients to seek effective reliefs of their symptoms.
%N 74
%K Light cannabis, self-medication, marijuana, difference-in-difference, prescription drugs, CBD.
%D 2020
%R 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102371
%I Elsevier
%L publications41762