In the master's thesis, we examined the field of cannabis regulation, which is rapidly changing worldwide, complicating comparisons between different countries. Therefore, we created a questionnaire to determine the Cannabis Accessibility Index (CAI) and thereby enable quantitative comparisons between countries in this area. The questionnaire was created based on a literature review of selected countries and one federal state: Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Uruguay, and California, chosen for their variable approaches to cannabis regulation. Significant legislative differences among them made these jurisdictions suitable as pilot cases.
The questionnaire, consisting of 20 questions, was designed based on the literature review of regulatory restrictions in the laws of the countries studied. The results showed clear differences in the level of accessibility. The order of countries by the Cannabis Accessibility Index is as follows: Uruguay (37,2 points), California (34,4 points), Germany (31,4 points), Malta (26,1 points), the Netherlands (20 points), and Luxembourg (14,8 points).
The calculated CAI values were compared with assessments by an independent evaluator based on a literature review and with predictions from artificial intelligence models. We found that the literature review results align with the CAI values, whereas the artificial intelligence model results did not follow the same patterns as the CAI. For future expansion of the questionnaire, we prepared additional questions that would enable a broader insight into the topic and more relevant results.
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