For years, opponents of cannabis legalization have warned that legalizing marijuana would lead to a surge in adolescent use. However, a decade after the first states moved to legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis, data overwhelmingly shows that these fears were unfounded. In fact, recent federal surveys reveal that teen marijuana use has declined sharply over the past ten years, during the same period when nearly half of U.S. states legalized the substance.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the percentage of teens aged 12 to 17 who reported having ever tried marijuana fell by 18 percent between 2014 and 2023. Similarly, the number of teens reporting marijuana use in the past year dropped by 15 percent, and those currently using marijuana declined by 19 percent.
These findings are echoed by data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, which shows that the percentage of high schoolers who currently use cannabis decreased by 26 percent between 2013 and 2023. These trends suggest that the legalization of cannabis for adult use has not led to an increase in youth experimentation with the drug.
Supporting this conclusion, a 2020 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that state-level legalization laws were associated with a small but significant decline in marijuana use among teens. Another study in JAMA Pediatrics similarly concluded that “marijuana use among youth may actually decline after legalization for recreational purposes,” noting that licensed dispensaries, which require proof of age, have replaced drug dealers as the primary source of cannabis.
The effectiveness of these regulations is further demonstrated by a recent study published in the Journal of Safety Research. The study found that in California, which has regulated the adult-use market since 2016, there was 100 percent compliance with ID checks at licensed cannabis outlets, ensuring that underage customers could not purchase marijuana.
These findings highlight the success of cannabis legalization policies in providing regulated access to adults while limiting youth access. As public support for adult-use cannabis legalization continues to rise, it is clear that these policies are not only working as intended but are also preferable to the risks posed by continued marijuana prohibition.
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