Ilia Nadareishvili’s INVEST fellowship research about cannabis use in his home country of Georgia has been published in Addiction. The study compares cannabis use among young adults in Georgia before and after possession was decriminalized and recreational use was legalized.
When Nadareishvili became interested in the impact of the easing of cannabis restrictions in Georgia, the NIDA INVEST fellowship “felt like a perfect starting point.” After being awarded the fellowship, Nadareishvili worked with mentors Jeffrey Samet, M.D., M.P.H., and Karsten Lunze, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., at Boston University, to conduct a health policy analysis of young adults’ recreational cannabis use in Georgia following use legalization in 2018.
Through Dr. Samet, Nadareishvili formed new professional connections with Drs. David Otiashvili (2003 Humphrey Fellow) and Irma Kirtadze (2014 DISCA). The researchers worked collaboratively to analyze data from the Georgian nationally representative survey from before easing of cannabis laws (2015) and after easing (2022). Specifically, Nadareishvili and colleagues sought to explore decriminalization and legalization’s impact on cannabis use, perceived difficulty to obtain cannabis, age of first use, differences in use between women and men, and factors associated with current use.
The findings revealed that there was a minimal shift in cannabis use among young adults following the implementation of recreational cannabis use legalization in Georgia. The data also demonstrated that men and people who gambled were at higher risk of cannabis use. Ultimately, future research will aim to identify the best way to balance public liberty and public health interests as the international community transitions to legalized recreational cannabis use.
Nadareishvili expressed gratitude to the NIDA International Program for the opportunity to complete the research, stating that the fellowship “significantly enhanced key competencies essential for advancing my career, including applying for further funding opportunities that, if successful, will propel me toward an independent international addiction research career.”
Reference: Nadareishvili I, Rao SR, Otiashvili D, Gnatienko N, Samet JH, Lunze K, Kirtadze I. Post-legalization shifts in cannabis use among young adults in Georgia-A nationally representative study. Addiction. 2025 Feb;120(2):335-346. doi: 10.1111/add.16688. Epub 2024 Oct. 17.