{"id":1070,"date":"2021-09-13T20:44:06","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T20:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=177324"},"modified":"2021-09-13T20:44:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T20:44:06","slug":"fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1070","title":{"rendered":"Fresh research concludes legalized cannabis does not increase use among teens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Teen pot use hasn&#8217;t risen amid legalization, researchers conclude | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in March that he opposed medical cannabis because, \u2018if you legalize marijuana, you\u2019re going to kill your kids. That\u2019s what the data shows from around the country.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, exactly the opposite of that, Pete.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2783850\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Research Letter published Sept. 7<\/a> in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers analyzed 28 years\u2019 worth of Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data to ascertain whether states that have passed medical or recreational cannabis laws have subsequently seen an increase in cannabis use among US high school students.<\/p>\n<p>Building on a <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/fullarticle\/2737637\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prior study<\/a> that analyzed YRBS data from 1993-2017, this updated effort offers an expanded view on the subject by adding in results from 2018 and 2019 as well.<\/p>\n<p>Whereas the authors note that the previous study was subject to scrutiny for only utilizing pre-legalization and post-legalization data from seven states total (including but three states with recreational markets), the new study incorporates a far more robust set of data\u2014in some cases multiple waves from different periods of time\u2014from a total of 10 states.<\/p>\n<p>The results, however, are largely the same.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"355\" alt=\"(JAMA, Research Letter, 2021)\" class=\"wp-image-177322 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Teens report using less cannabis amid legalization. (JAMA, Research Letter, 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cBased on the pooled YRBS data, and in the fully adjusted models, [recreational marijuana law] adoption was not associated with current marijuana or frequent marijuana use,\u201d the study concluded. \u201cIn the fully adjusted models, medical marijuana law (MML) adoption was associated with a 6% decrease in the odds of current marijuana use and a 7% decrease (in the odds of frequent marijuana use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, researchers also found that \u201cestimates of the association between the opening of the first recreational dispensary and marijuana use were qualitatively similar\u201d to these numbers, further cementing what a <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/fullarticle\/2737637?guestAccessKey=5e4e41eb-ec96-4641-86f9-b5c89cc7cc48\">plethora<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/calschls.org\/docs\/marijuana_use_vol_1.pdf\">other<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/article-abstract\/2718512\">studies<\/a> have already shown: that legalizing weed actually leads to a decline in teen use, not an uptick.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/debunking-dispensary-myths\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Leafly study debunks dispensary myths around crime &amp; teen use<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>While the study\u2019s authors declined to provide a reasoned rationale for what may be responsible for this correlation, their work is complemented by an ever-expanding pool of research that includes a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/pcd\/issues\/2020\/20_0156.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">November 2020 report<\/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing&nbsp;that teens going to the hospital for cannabis-related complaints has declined by 50% and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/debunking-dispensary-myths\">Leafly\u2019s own 2019 review<\/a> of 42 key studies that found, in part, that teen use is \u201cunaffected specifically [and] declines generally\u201din states with legalization.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-study-does-not-say-why-teen-use-is-flat\">Study does not say why teen use is flat<\/h2>\n<p>As for the \u2018why\u2019 of it all, compelling factors include the idea that legalized markets exclusively serve adults\u2014versus street markets that sell to children.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"971\" height=\"551\" alt=\"A slide from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board's compliance program. (WSLCB, 2021)\" class=\"wp-image-177321 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>A slide from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board\u2019s compliance program. (WSLCB, 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-solid-color\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u2026 licensed cannabis sellers in Washington tightened up their compliance rate for checking identification from 95% in 2019 to 96% in 2020\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>For example, licensed cannabis sellers in Washington tightened up their compliance rate for checking identification from 95% in 2019 to 96% in 2020, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board August 5. <\/p>\n<p>(Just for comparison\u2014Washington alcohol seller compliance rates slipped from 85% to 75%, and tobacco seller compliance fell from 90% to 75%.)<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the causes may be: opposing legal cannabis to \u2018save the teens\u2019 defies empirical reality. <\/p>\n<p>Someone should inform Gov. Ricketts that it\u2019s prohibitionist talking points that are on life support these days.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens.jpg\" alt=\"Zack Ruskin's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Zack Ruskin<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Zack Ruskin is a freelance cannabis and culture reporter. His other bylines include the San Francisco Chronicle, The Nib, Vanity Fair, California Leaf Magazine and Variety. Follow him on Twitter: @zackruskin.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/zack-ruskin\">View Zack Ruskin&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-09-13 14:01:33 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teen pot use hasn&#8217;t risen amid legalization, researchers conclude | Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in March that he opposed medical cannabis because, \u2018if you legalize marijuana, you\u2019re going to kill your kids. That\u2019s what the data shows from around the country.\u2019 Yeah, exactly the opposite of that, Pete. In a new&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fresh-research-concludes-legalized-cannabis-does-not-increase-use-among-teens.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}