Colorado Legalization Results in Teen Use Decrease

According to a recent study, the number of Colorado teenagers using marijuana has decreased to below the national average. 

Researchers conducted a survey on seventeen thousand middle and high school students in Colorado and found that only 21 percent of them used marijuana in the past thirty days (Ackerman, 2016). This is lower than the 25 percent of youth who were using in Colorado in 2009 before legalization. 

Mason Tvert, the director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, stated, “These statistics clearly debunk the theory that making marijuana legal for adults will result in more teen use” (Ackerman, 2016). 

This is not the first study to show these results. A study earlier this year by the Washington University School of Medicine “found that nationally, the number of teens with marijuana-related problems—such as trouble with family or academic issues—dropped by 24 percent between 2002 and 2013, along with the overall number of teens who use marijuana” (Ackerman, 2016). Furthermore, a study published in Lancet Psychiatry last year determined that legalization of medical marijuana also had no impact on teen marijuana use.  

Ackerman, M. (2016). Teen pot use drops in Colorado after legalization. Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/teen-pot-use-drops-colorado-after-legalization