In the past decade alone, during which time 24 states legalized adult use marijuana sales, the percentage of 8th graders, 10th graders, and 12 graders who reported having ever consumed cannabis declined 32 percent, 37 percent, and 23 percent respectively.
“States’ real-world experience with marijuana legalization proves that these policies can be implemented in a manner that provides regulated access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse.”
Those wedded to the status quo of cannabis criminalization have long warned that legalizing the marijuana market will result in increased adolescent use. But 10 years following the first states’ decisions to legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis sales, data conclusively shows that this fear was unfounded.
“Prevalence of cannabis use did not change among youth over time,” the study’s authors concluded.
Consistent with prior analyses, researchers determined, “There was no evidence that RML [recreational marijuana laws] were associated with encouraging youth marijuana use.”
“Together, results found no net increases in cannabis or, through spillover effects, alcohol or tobacco use among adolescents in response to the rapid rise of RCL [recreational cannabis legalization] and RCR [recreational cannabis retail sales]. Results suggest that legalization and greater control over cannabis markets have not facilitated adolescents’ entry into substance use.”
Since the late 1990s, self-reported annual marijuana use by 12th graders has fallen an estimated 25 percent. Among 10th graders, it has fallen by 50 percent. Among 8th graders, it has fallen by more than half.
Monitoring the Future has released their 2022 findings regarding cannabis use rates for 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. The study found that rates for each cohort were largely unchanged from last year.