Marijuana use among teenagers continues to decline with legalization

Another positive reason for legalizing cannabis: consumption among teenagers continues to decline.

One of the big arguments against legalizing marijuana is that it will lead to more youth using it. This argument is made even though alcohol consumption among teenagers remains a problem. Now, a new study shows that marijuana use among teens continues to decline, coinciding with the increasing legalization of cannabis for adults in the United States. This trend contradicts the predictions of legalization opponents, who argued that easier access would lead to increased consumption by young people.

According to the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), cannabis use among eighth, 10th and 12th graders is now lower than it was before laws legalizing adult use were introduced in the first states in 2012. This decline is part of a broader trend of declining drug use among youth, which has reached historic lows since the coronavirus pandemic.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported an 18% decrease in the percentage of 12- to 17-year-olds who had ever tried marijuana from 2014 to 2023. The group decreased by 19%. Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavioral Survey found that between 2013 and 2023, the proportion of high school students who identify as current cannabis users decreased by 26%.

Researchers attribute this decline to several factors:

1. Regulated Markets: Licensed dispensaries require proof of age, making it more difficult for teens to obtain marijuana.
2. Effective ID Policies: Studies show that licensed cannabis retailers maintain high compliance rates when verifying customer IDs.
3. Changing Perceptions: Young people's perception that cannabis is easily accessible has decreased significantly, despite the growing adult-use market.

The trend is not just limited to the United States. A Canadian study found that high school students reported greater difficulty accessing marijuana since the country legalized it nationwide in 2019

These results support the argument that regulated adult-use marijuana markets with appropriate safeguards can effectively deter youth access and use. The data suggests that legalization policies can be implemented to provide regulated access for adults while limiting youth access and abuse.

As more states consider legalizing marijuana, these findings can help policymakers and public health officials develop effective strategies to protect young people while enabling adult use. The continued decline in marijuana use among teens shows that legalization, when implemented properly, does not necessarily lead to increased use among teens, but can actually help reduce it.