According to the Health Belief Model (Janz and Becker, 1984), perceived risk is an important factor in deciding whether or not individuals will engage in health-related behaviors. Continually evolving regulations governing the medicalization and legalization of cannabis use within the U.S. have the potential to impact perceived risk of cannabis use, which may influence individuals’ decisions to use cannabis. Cerda and colleagues (2012) showed that adults in states with medical cannabis laws have higher odds of cannabis use than residents of states without such laws. Compared to those without medical marijuana laws, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) participants in states with medical marijuana laws also had lower perceptions of risk associated with use as well as adolescent marijuana use (Wall et al., 2011). In Colorado, marijuana commercialization was also associated with decreased perception of great risk of marijuana use for adolescents and adults alike (Schuermeyer et al., 2014). Conversely, in an analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2002–2009 data, Harper and colleagues (2012) found limited evidence for a causal effect of the presence
