Document Type

Article

Department

Brain and Mind Institute; Internal Medicine (East Africa)

Abstract

Cannabis consumption increases the incidence of psychotic disorders, violence, and cognitive impairments [1]. Governments need to implement progressive tax legislation, such as that which requires the cannabis sector to accept responsibility and account for its contribution to the worsening of these mental health conditions in developing countries. Excise taxes are rarely imposed on the cannabis sector [2], despite the lucrative wealth amassed by this industry. For example, current estimates show that the global cannabis sector was valued at $25 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $176 billion by 2030, driven solely by cannabis inhalation demands [3]. The projected growth rate of 604% demonstrates the risk of poor mental health and the viability of targeting the cannabis sector with special excise taxes to finance mental health promotion and prevention programmes, which have been neglected in developing countries.

Publication (Name of Journal)

Public Health in Practice

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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