Cannabis use by teens in the United States has fallen sharply in the majority of states that legalised an adult-use market, according to an analysis of state and federal survey data by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). MPP’s analysis acknowledges steady declines in self-reported use by young people in 19 of 21 states for which data was available. Federally funded survey data shows similar nationwide declines in teen use over the past decade.
“Over a decade into state-level cannabis legalisation, the data is unequivocal: Legalisation does not increase youth cannabis use. In fact, evidence suggests the opposite”, said Karen O’Keefe, Director of State Policies at the MPP. “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”.
National data provided by the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study reported that cannabis use by teens fell to historic lows in 2024. Specifically, it determined that the percentage of eighth graders, tenth graders and twelfth graders who reported having ever consumed cannabis declined 32%, 37% and 23% (respectively) since 2014.
A syndicated op-ed authored by NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano highlights the long-term decline in teen use, stating: “Those wedded to the status quo of cannabis criminalsation have long warned that legalising the market will result in increased adolescent use. But ten years following the first states’ decisions to legalise and regulate adult-use cannabis sales, data conclusively shows that this fear was unfounded”.
Read more from NORML here.
17 February, 2025