February 20, 2023 08:00 am ETEstimated Read Time: 4 Minutes
A recent analysis published by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that youth cannabis consumption does not rise after states enact legalization. According to the analysis, the impact of policy change on adolescent cannabis consumption is “statistically indistinguishable from zero.”
The implementation of regulated cannabis models appears to reduce marijuana use among adolescents, based on specific measures. Anti-cannabis lobbyists may be surprised to learn about the federal study’s findings, with prohibitionists arguing that cannabis legalization encourages younger consumer behavior.
The analysis examined federal Youth Risk Behavior Survey data published between the years 1993-2019 in 10 medical or adult-use states. It expands upon existing studies on the repercussions of cannabis reform on youth consumption, many of which gleaned similar findings.
Researchers learned that recreational cannabis legalization “was not associated with current marijuana use or frequent marijuana use.” Additionally, “Medical marijuana law (MML) adoption was associated with a 6% decrease in the odds of current marijuana use and a 7% decrease in the odds of frequent marijuana use.”
Partially funded by a federal National Institutes of Health grant, the study into youth cannabis use also discovered that consumption plummeted in states where adult-use legalization had been enacted for two years or more. As of 2019, 10 U.S. states had legalized cannabis for adult-use purposes.
“Consistent with estimates from prior studies, there was little evidence that RMLs or MMLs encourage youth marijuana use,” wrote the researchers. “As more post-legalization data become available, researchers will be able to draw firmer conclusions about the relationship between RMLs and adolescent marijuana use.”
Youth Cannabis Consumption Trend Did Not Surprise Advocates
The study researchers did not explicitly explain why more youths are steering clear of cannabis in legal states. On the other hand, they did emphasize that the trend does not surprise lobbyists, many of whom have long argued that approving sales in a regulated environment would deter youths from accessing cannabis via illegal markets.
Apply For Your Medical Marijuana Card Today
Veriheal has satisfied hundreds of thousands of patients nationwide
Get approved or your money back
Appointments available on-demand
Customer support available 24/7
“This study provides additional evidence that legalizing and regulating cannabis does not result in increased rates of use among teens. In fact, it suggests that cannabis legalization laws might be decreasing teen use,” Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said during an interview with Marijuana Moment.
“That makes sense because legal cannabis businesses are required to strictly check the IDs of their customers. The unregulated market, which prohibitionists are effectively trying to sustain, lacks such protections,” he added.
Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Nora Volkow told reporters during a recent interview that, despite her trepidation about the potentially negative consequences of legalization, it has not influenced youths to use more cannabis. While voicing her opinion on Drug Policy Alliance founder Ethan Nadelmann’s podcast, Volkow said that she was “expecting the use of marijuana among adolescents would go up” when states enacted cannabis legalization but acknowledged that “overall, it hasn’t.”
Previous Reports Mirror JAMA Study Findings
Various organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have raised concerns regarding legalization and its impact on youth marijuana use. Nonetheless, past research supports the JAMA Network Open study’s findings. For example, the prohibitionist narrative was disputed in a federal report that was published in May 2021. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) highlighted data on youth surveys of high school students between the years 2009 and 2019.
“No measurable difference” was observed in the percentage of 9th-12th grade students who reported using cannabis at least once within the last month. The report pulled data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. It also found that access was stable during that time period, with no major changes in the percentage of youth who claimed to have been sold, offered, or gifted illegal narcotics on school grounds during the previous month.
An earlier analysis that was published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that marijuana consumption among high school students sank during the height of state-legal recreational cannabis legalization. The organization notes that 37% of U.S. high school students reported lifetime use of marijuana in 2019 and 22% reported use in the past 30 days.
Bethan Rose is a cannabis advocate, writer and traveler with no permanent address. Currently based in Bali, she can usually be found curating cannabis content on her hammock.
Minors can freely get weed now. From my perspective legalization would not increase use in minors any more than a new beer distributor opening in a town and fearing more minors are going to drink alcohol.
If you’re reading this, you are either a recreational cannabis veteran who has seen a handful of cannabis smokers passing out from puffing a joint and can’t seem to figure out why. Or, you are a newbie who wants to give recreational or medical cannabis a shot, and the burning question on your mind is,…
Edibles are arguably one of the best means of recreational cannabis consumption—you get to eat a treat AND experience a long-lasting high. But it’s easy to end up dealing with some unwanted side effects due to the variability in the onset of these THC-packed goodies, which come in the form of brownies, cookies, gummies, chocolate,…
So you love smoking cannabis, but you’re tired of the same ole rolling papers. Perhaps you feel like you’ve graduated from dumping out the tobacco and shoving weed into an empty cigarette. Maybe you’ve recently learned about the potential dangers and risks associated with tobacco blunt wraps and want a healthier option. Let’s explore some…
When you decide that you are going to dabble in cannabis cultivation, you have many different decisions to make. You’ll have to decide whether you’re growing indoors or outdoors, as well as in soil, or the route of hydroponics. You’ll also have to pick what type of planters to use, what grow medium to use,…
Professional wrestling legend Terry Gene Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan, recently mentioned how CBD has helped him deal with addiction. In an interview with Muscle & Health magazine, he revealed that he has swapped opioids and alcohol for CBD. Worthy of note is that the therapeutic value of CBD is being studied for substance…
We use our own as well as third party cookies to improve your site experience and the services we make available. You can learn more about our use of cookies in our Privacy Policy.
Content Disclamer
The statements made regarding cannabis products on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cannabis is not an FDA-approved substance and is still illegal under federal law. The information provided on this website is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional. We strongly recommend that you consult with a physician or other qualified healthcare provider before using any cannabis products. The use of any information provided on this website is solely at your own risk.