Evolution of Marijuana Research at the Biopsychosocial Level: a General View

In recent years, there have been important changes related to marijuana use at the therapeutic, legislative, and social levels. Our goal is to know how they have influenced scientific research through the articles published in the Health Sciences journals in the last two decades (2001–2020). Marijuana articles included in the Web of Science Core Collection were retrieved, including their PubMed identifier (PMID) which was used to check whether these articles were also indexed in PubMed, obtaining a total of 36,982 documents. After, their descriptive terms (MeSH) on the specific branches of Chemicals and Drugs, Psychiatry and Psychology, and Anthropology, Education, Sociology, and Social Phenomena were extracted to (1) conduct a correspondence analysis between terms and years to know the temporary evolution and (2) study the frequency per years of the terms “marijuana abuse,” “marijuana use,” and “medical marijuana.” The temporary analysis of the three branches showed a change in the use of terms from those more punitive to others more generic, more related to therapeutic issues, or more normalizing. The analysis of frequency showed that the most recent terms “marijuana use” and “medical marijuana” have gained weight on “marijuana abuse.” Starting with research on the negative consequences and ending with elements related to legislation and the therapeutic possibilities of marijuana shows a trend that has not been observed for any other drug. It would be advisable for scientific research and policy actions to take this into account in the development of prevention programs.