Neither the adoption of state-level adult-use marijuana legalization laws nor retail cannabis sales are associated with rising rates of use among teenagers, according to data published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Researchers affiliated with Boston College assessed the relationship between marijuana legalization laws and adolescents’ use of cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco over a ten-year period (2011-2021). Investigators reviewed survey data provided by over 898,000 teens in 47 states.
Consistent with prior studies, researchers reported that legalization “was not associated with adolescents’ likelihood or frequency of cannabis use.” Adult-use marijuana laws were also associated with “modest decreases” in teens’ use of alcohol and e-cigarettes.
The study’s authors concluded: “Together, results found no net increases in cannabis or, through spillover effects, alcohol or tobacco use among adolescents in response to the rapid rise of RCL [recreational cannabis legalization] and RCR [recreational cannabis retail sales]. Results suggest that legalization and greater control over cannabis markets have not facilitated adolescents’ entry into substance use.”
Commenting on the data, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These findings ought to reassure lawmakers and the public that cannabis access for adults can be legally regulated in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not negatively impact young people’s consumption habits.”
According to a May 2023 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of high schoolers nationwide who ever tried marijuana fell 30 percent between 2011 and 2021 – during which time nearly half of all US states legalized cannabis.
Full text of the study, “Recreational cannabis legalization, retail sales, and adolescent substance use through 2021,” appears in JAMA Pediatrics. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.’