Cannabis Legalization Does Not Lead To Increased Cannabis Use in Youth, Report States

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In a January 9, 2025, press release, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) announced it had compiled data from various reports related to the effect of recreational adult cannabis legalization on cannabis use in youth in the US (1). The MPP was founded in 1995 and aims to advance cannabis legalization in the US.

The MPP stated that based on the data, which included data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Prevention and Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, and data from states individually, cannabis legalization was associated with a decrease in youth cannabis use. The MPP report listed data from 21 states on the percentages of self-reported past 30-day cannabis use by students before and after cannabis was legalized in the state, starting with Washington and Colorado, which were the first two states to enact recreational cannabis laws in 2012 (2). It noted that data from 19 of the states indicates a decrease in percentages.

Additionally, according to national data from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 23.1% of 9^th – 12^th graders reported past 30-day cannabis use in 2011, compared to 17% in 2023.

According to national data from the MTF survey:

• In 2011, 7.2% of 8^th graders reported 30-day past cannabis use, compared to 4.3% in 2024
• In 2011, 17.6% of 10^th graders reported 30-day past cannabis use, compared to 9.5% in 2024
• In 2011, 22.6% of 12^th graders reported 30-day past cannabis use, compared to 16.2% in 2024.

Data from the MTF also stated decreases in the percentages of students reporting cannabis as “fairly easy” or “very easy” to access.

"Over a decade into state-level cannabis legalization, the data is unequivocal: Legalization does not increase youth cannabis use,” stated Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, in the press release. “In fact, evidence suggests the opposite. By transitioning cannabis sales from the illicit market to a regulated system with age-restricted access, we've seen a decrease in youth cannabis use.”

The MPP also noted a 2021 report from the Journal of the American Medical Association, stating that the researchers did not find significant association between recreational or medical cannabis legalization and cannabis use among high school students, using data from 1.4 million students from 1993 to 2019.

The MPP report concluded that shifting cannabis sales from the illegal cannabis market to cannabis being sold legally reduces teen access. Furthermore, taxes from legal cannabis sales are occasionally used to fund prevention education.

Data from the MTF was also used as part of the recently published study, “Daily or near-daily cannabis and alcohol use by adults in the United States: A comparison across age groups,” (3). This study examined data across three age groups of adults, finding that over the past 10 years, there has been a crossover of daily or near-daily cannabis and alcohol use among young adults (ages 19-30), data from early midlife adults shows a convergence of use, and for late midlife adults, alcohol use remained significantly more prevalent than cannabis use.

References

1. Marijuana Policy Project. New Data Shows Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Corresponds with Drops in Teen Use https://www.mpp.org/news/press/new-data-shows-adult-use-cannabis-legalization-corresponds-with-drops-in-teen-use/ (accessed Jan 10, 2025).
2. Marijuana Policy Project. Adult Use Legalization Corresponds With Drop In Teen Marijuana Use https://www.mpp.org/issues/legalization/adult-use-legalization-corresponds-with-drop-in-teen-marijuana-use/ (accessed Jan 10, 2025).
3. McEvoy, E. Study Examines Shifting Trends in Daily Cannabis and Alcohol Use for Adults in the US https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/study-examines-shifting-trends-in-daily-cannabis-and-alcohol-use-for-adults-in-the-us (accessed Jan 10, 2025).