As cannabis legalization continues to spread across the United States, the subject of underage consumption is an ever-present topic of concern for both parents and policymakers.
It could stand to reason that, with more-widespread cannabis legalization, underage use might also increase, but a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association appears to contradict that notion.
Researchers looked at data from CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) which are administered to high school students from grades 9-12 and used by government agencies to study and track behavior trends such as eating habits, drug use, and physical and sexual activity.
With a sample size of 1,414,826 individuals between the years of 1993 and 2017, researchers found that recreational cannabis laws were associated with an 8 percent decrease in the odds of marijuana use and a 9 percent decrease in the odds of frequent use.
Medical cannabis laws were not shown to encourage youth consumption.
“Consistent with the results of previous researchers,” write the study authors. “There was no evidence that the legalization of medical marijuana encourages marijuana use among youth.”
Authors state that the results also agree with the argument that teens have a more difficult time obtaining cannabis when illicit sources are replaced with dispensaries that require proof of legal age for purchase.
