Washington, DC: The passage of state laws authorizing the use of medical cannabis has not led to an increase in the drug’s recreational use among young people, according to a report issued this week by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).
State and federal survey data reveals, “No state with a medical marijuana law has experienced an overall increase in youth marijuana use since the law’s enactment,” authors write. “All have reported overall decreases – in some cases exceeding 50 percent in specific age groups – strongly suggesting that the enactment of state medical marijuana laws does not increase teen marijuana use.”
The report further found that states with medical cannabis laws have experienced greater declines in teen marijuana use than the national average.
Since 1996, ten states – Alaska, Colorado, California, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington – have enacted laws permitting the use of cannabis by qualified patients.
Full text of the report, “Marijuana Use By Young People: The Impact of State Medical Marijuana Laws,” is available online at:
http://www.mpp.org/pdf/2005TeenUseReport.pdf