Researchers at Montana State University have analysed health surveys of US high school pupils between 1993 and 2017, and found that the likelihood of teen cannabis use has declined by nearly 10%, in states where recreational use was legalised.
The study found that it is actually harder for teens to purchase cannabis from licensed dispensaries, where proof of age is required, than from dealers.
Titled, “Association of Marijuana Laws With Teen Marijuana Use- New Estimates From the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys,” and published in the medical journal Jama Paediatrics, the study found that it is actually harder for teens to purchase cannabis from licensed dispensaries (where proof of age is required) than from dealers, which could partly explain the drop. Additionally, cannabis sold in dispensaries is also often more expensive.
The researchers analysed data on about 1.4 million teenagers in the US, taken from the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveys, an annual national survey carried out by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They concluded that these findings “should help to quell some concerns that use among teens will actually go up”.
Lead study author Dr. Mark Anderson said that they did not observe a change when the substance was legalised for medical purposes, only when it was legalised for recreational purposes.
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