Table 2 Eligible article characteristics (n = 22)
First author and year | Article title | Country of first author | Countries discussed | Study design | Study aim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ablin et al. 2016 [27] | Medical use of cannabis products: Lessons to be learned from Israel and Canada | Israel | Canada, Germany and Israel | Policy analysis | To examine the different aspects of MC and regulatory frameworks surrounding MC, as well as, how these regulations can be applied in Germany |
Bradford et al. 2017 [3] | Factors driving the diffusion of medical marijuana legalisation in the United States | United States | United States | Policy analysis | A review of how the adoption of medical marijuana laws spread across the US, along with a review of the factors affecting the policy diffusion |
Campbell et al. 2015 [26] | The medical marijuana catch-22: How the federal monopoly on marijuana research unfairly handicaps the rescheduling movement | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To analyze MC policies in the US and the categorization of cannabis as a Schedule I drug |
Choo et al. 2017 [18] | Clearing the haze: The complexities and challenges of research on state marijuana laws | United States | United States | Literature review | To provide an overview of marijuana laws in the US, in addition to a review of the status of policy research in the US while highlighting issues and the considerations brought to attention during the policy development process;Â to examine areas in the policy development process that require further research and development |
Cohen et al. 2010 [28] | Medical marijuana 2010: It's time to fix the regulatory vacuum | United States | United States | Literature review | To conduct a literature review on the history of MC laws in the US, as well as, to provide an overview of the current MC laws |
Davenport et al. 2016 [30] | The Dangerous Drugs Act Amendment in Jamaica: Reviewing goals, implementation, and challenges | United States | Jamaica and the United States | Policy analysis | To analyze how the Dangerous Drug Amendment Act influences populations across Jamaica, achieves its stated goals, and the various challenges faced by the implementation process of the regulatory framework |
Flexon et al. 2019 [19] | The effect of cannabis laws on opioid use | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To investigate the effect of medicinal marijuana laws on opioid users, and whether individuals with chronic pain are opting to use medicinal marijuana instead of opioids due to the law changes |
Grbic et al. 2017 [20] | Observations of the role of science in the United States medical cannabis state policies: Lessons learnt | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To identify the main challenges to the development of MC laws in the US |
Hammer et al. 2015 [21] | Patients, police, and care providers: The cultural dimension of medical marijuana implementation | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To test the social construction theory and utilize the Institutional Analysis and Design framework to determine the role political culture has on MC regulation and implementation |
Heddleston et al. 2013 [15] | A tale of three cities: Medical marijuana, activism, and local regulation in California | United States | United States | Case study | To examine the MC policies and regulations in three US cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco using three different models |
Kim et al. 2018 [13] | Policy innovation and diffusion through policy typologies: Examining the predictors of medical marijuana legalization in states | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To evaluate factors that contribute to the diffusion of medical marijuana laws; the type of policies that determines whether a medical marijuana policy is adopted or not; and, how the adoption of medical marijuana laws affects the legalization of medical marijuana in the state |
Lamonica et al. 2016 [9] | Gaps in medical marijuana policy implementation: Real-time perspectives from marijuana dispensary entrepreneurs, health care professionals and medical marijuana patients | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To review the recent changes in marijuana policy in Massachusetts and examine the challenges for its implementation |
Lucas et al. 2008 [1] | Regulating compassion: An overview of Canada's federal medical cannabis policy and practice | Canada | Canada | Policy analysis | To examine the origin and evolution of Health Canada's MMAD, Canadian Institute of Health Research Medical Marijuana Research Program and Prairie plant system, and the Canadian federal contract |
Lucas et al. 2012 [22] | It can't hurt to ask; A patient-centered quality of service assessment of Health Canada's medical cannabis policy and program | Canada | Canada | Survey and Interviews | To gain knowledge about the needs of patients who have been federally authorized for MC, as well as, the challenges and experiences associated with Health Canada's Marihuana Medical Access Division |
Miyaji et al. 2016 [23] | Tackling the pharmaceutical frontier: Regulation of cannabinoid-based medicines in postwar Japan | Japan | Japan | Literature review | To explore the history of the development of MC and discuss the control of cannabis and the status of research on MC in Japan |
Pacula et al. 2002 [31] | State medical marijuana laws: Understanding the laws and their limitations | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To present original legal research on current MC laws and regulations in all 50 states in the US |
Pacula et al. 2014 [14] | Words can be deceiving: A review of variation among legally effective medical marijuana laws in the United States | United States | United States | Literature review | To determine the characteristics of MMLs that have been established in 1990; specifically, the study examined factors associated with consumers/patients, the influence of the MMLs on access, and an overall examination of the variation amongst the laws |
Pardo et al. 2014 [24] | Cannabis policy reforms in the Americas: A comparative analysis of Colorado, Washington, and Uruguay | United States | United States and Uruguay | Policy analysis | To explore policies on cannabis legalization in Uruguay and Colorado and Washington, and to provide policymakers with data that allowed for a deeper understanding of the policies and challenges associated with cannabis reform |
Smith et al. 2013 [17] | Medical marijuana regulation in Michigan: Problems of legitimacy | United States | United States | Case study | To analyze the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) and examine the social issues that arose during the development process of the regulation |
Taylor et al. 2016 [25] | Evidence-based policy? The re-medicalization of cannabis and the role of expert committees in the UK, 1972–1982 | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | Case study | To examine the role of UK-based expert groups during the implementation process of MC policies from 1972 to 1982 |
Tilburg et al. 2019 [16] | Emerging public health law and policy issues concerning state medical cannabis programs | United States | United States | Policy analysis | To examine how restrictions on cannabis, imposed by federal laws, impede the development of regulatory frameworks for cannabis ultimately affect the patients and the public |
Zarhin et al. 2018 [29] | Rhetorical and regulatory boundary-work: The case of medical cannabis policy-making in Israel | Israel | Israel | Policy analysis | To examine the MC policymaking process in Israel; the development process was then reviewed to determine the boundaries that dictated between the legal and illegal use of MC |