As more states have legalized marijuana, drug analysis labs are reporting “significantly” reduced testing of seized cannabis, a new report from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says.
DEA’s National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) compiles local, state and federal drug testing data, and the division’s latest report looks at data collected in 2022. The results are partly a reflection of law enforcement trends, as seized drugs are typically submitted to labs for testing.
According to the report, cannabis remains one of the top five most commonly identified drugs in testing analyses—but it’s consistently declined in recent years amid the state-level legalization movement.
Advocates have long argued that legalizing marijuana would translate into a diminished illicit market, with adults and patients more likely to buy from regulated shops than from remaining unlicensed operators. The gradual decline in seized cannabis that’s being tested as more states end prohibition seems to support that argument.
“Cannabis/THC reports slightly increased from 2008 to 2009, then decreased through 2022,” it found. From 2021 to 2022, marijuana reports “decreased significantly” along with methamphetamine, heroin, alprazolam and buprenorphine.
The 2022 numbers represent a major decline compared to 2001, when NFLIS first started publishing data on drug testing trends.
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