Self-reported cannabis use following cash transfer: Estimating the short-term impacts of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend.

Bruzelius E.; Gutkind S.; Philbin M.; Martins S. · The International journal on drug policy · 2026

**Background & Methods** This study examined whether annual cash payments from Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) were associated with changes in cannabis use patterns. Researchers used Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from Alaska (2016, 2017, 2020, 2021) and compared outcomes to residents of other jurisdictions with recreational cannabis laws, employing survey-weighted regression models to assess cannabis use during post-PFD disbursement windows versus other timeframes. **Key Findings** • PFD disbursement was not meaningfully associated with changes in past-month cannabis use (OR: 0.96; 95% CI 0.66-1.41) or daily/near-daily use (OR: 1.07; CI: 0.65-1.76) among Alaska residents relative to comparison jurisdictions. • No significant changes in the number of past-month cannabis use days were observed following PFD disbursement (Count Ratio: 1.01; CI: 0.70-1.45). • Alaska residents demonstrated higher baseline cannabis use prevalence compared to comparison jurisdictions with similar cannabis laws, independent of PFD timing. **Dosage & Administration** Not reported. **Safety & Adverse Effects** Not reported. **Evidence Quality** This study addresses an important policy question but has notable limitations. The analysis relies on self-reported substance use data collected through BRFSS surveys, which may be subject to recall bias and social desirability bias. The cross-sectional comparison design, while incorporating comparison jurisdictions, cannot establish causal relationships with certainty. Data collection gaps (no surveys in 2018-2019) may have missed important temporal patterns around PFD disbursement. The study examines only short-term associations and does not assess longer-term effects or mechanisms through which cash transfers might influence cannabis use. Additionally, the null findings may reflect insufficient statistical power to detect modest effects, and generalizability to other cash transfer programs or substances remains uncertain. The authors appropriately acknowledge these limitations and identify the need for future research exploring different program structures and outcomes beyond cannabis.

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