Guiding Cannabis Policies that Protect Youth and Health

As cannabis legalization sweeps the nation, PHI’s Getting It Right from the Start provides national leadership and guidance on policy implementation—with the goal of reducing harms, and addressing youth and problem use.

Since 2017, the program has been working to develop and disseminate best practices for cannabis policy that are rooted in health, safety and equity. In 2018, there were 93 jurisdictions using the program’s best practices that had some form of caps on retailers—translating to over 13.5 million California residents residing in communities that limit the number of retail outlets. In 2020, there are now at least 100 jurisdictions using best practices developed by Getting it Right from the Start, including some that are pioneering new approaches—such as Contra Costa County, set to enact the first ban on vaped cannabis in November 2020.

Getting it Right from the Start has also helped to shape California state policy. In 2019, the state adopted program recommendations including age and ID verification on delivery; stronger exclusions on products attractive to children or resembling certain common foods; and maintenance of child-resistant packaging requirements. Getting it Right from the Start was also formally appointed to the Prop 64 Advisory Group—helping to monitor emerging trends in youth substance use, make recommendations on substance use prevention, and review the granting of cannabis funds deposited in the Youth Education Prevention, Early Intervention, and Treatment Account.

The program also guided municipalities and governments in nine states and Canada in 2019. In Illinois, new laws included recommendations made by the program such as equity licenses; automatic expungement of possession convictions; a ban on health and therapeutic claims; and restrictions on advertising near youth sensitive locations. New York State did not legalize but did adopt automatic expungement of criminal records, thanks in part to recommendations made to the state and city. And thanks to the program’s technical assistance, 82 cities and counties across the United States adopted limits on the number of cannabis dispensaries in their locality, and 52 adopted some form of cannabis business signage or advertising restrictions.

Getting it Right from the Start is also helping to drive the national conversation on marijuana, health and equity. In 2019, at least one presidential candidate adopted the automatic expungement of criminal records, a recommended policy position by the program. The Surgeon General also produced an advisory on marijuana and the developing brain after meeting with Getting it Right from the Start, which closely agreed with the program’s recommendations.