Cannabis Use and Health-Related "Harm to Others": Toward a Conceptual Framework and Evidence Base for Public Health

Cannabis use has become increasingly common as more jurisdictions liberalize controls, including legalization and allowing nonmedical cannabis use among adults, to better protect public health and safety. Little attention has been given to possible health-related "harm to others," as are considered in other substance use domains. We propose a framework and review evidence on public health domains in which cannabis use may produce health-related harm to others, namely from (a) interpersonal violence, (b) motor vehicle crash-related injuries, (c) pregnancy-related outcomes, and (d) secondhand exposure. These domains are associated with moderate risks of adverse outcomes that, however, may involve substantial health harm to others, and therefore warrant consideration in guiding regulations and in evaluating the public health impacts of cannabis use and different policy options for its control.