Philadelphia, PA: Those between the ages of 18 and 20 show no uptick in their use of cannabis following the adoption of statewide adult-use legalization, according to data published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
Researchers affiliated with Drexel University in Philadelphia assessed cannabis use trends in Los Angeles, California in two separate cohorts of subjects between the ages of 18 and 20. The first cohort was assessed during the years immediately prior to the adoption of adult-use legalization in California. The second cohort was assessed in 2019-2020. (California voters legalized marijuana in November 2016; retail sales began the following January.) Participants in both cohorts reported being current cannabis consumers prior to their enrollment in the study.
Investigators failed to identify any significant differences in cannabis use frequency between the two groups. However, those in the latter cohort were less likely to report consuming either alcohol or cigarettes.
The study’s authors concluded: “Despite purported greater access to cannabis during the post-AUL [adult-use legalization] period in Los Angeles, California, no significant differences in cannabis use frequency among 18–20-year-old cannabis users were observed. … Also, the post-AUL cohort reported fewer days of alcohol and cigarette use, suggesting the possibility of a protective effect offered by cannabis. … Future studies should monitor whether stable rates of cannabis use and declines in alcohol and cigarette use will be sustained as some participants reach legal age to access these substances for adult use, and how these trends continue or alter as participants enter later emerging adulthood.”
The study’s findings are consistent with those of several others similarly finding no significant uptick in cannabis use by young people following adult-use legalization.
Full text of the study, “Pre-post cannabis legalization for adult use: Trend study of two cohorts of young cannabis users in Los Angeles,” appears in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.’