Report: Medical Marijuana Legalization Does Not Increase Teen Usage Rates
Legalizing medical cannabis doesn’t lead to an increase in teen usage rates, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
“Our results suggest that, in the states assessed here, MMLs [medical marijuana laws] have not measurably affected adolescent marijuana use in the first few years after their enactment,” the report concludes.
The study, which is published in the American Journal of Public Health, used statistical data collected from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, examining medical cannabis states like Montana and Michigan over an 8-year period.
This new report validates past studies on the subject, including one from earlier this year which found that Arizona teens actually consume cannabis at a lower rate now that medical marijuana has been legalized.
In conclusion, these findings tear through the argument that medical marijuana legalization will increase the usage rates of teenagers, which has been one of the primary points prohibitionists have used in opposition to reform. As with the rest of their stale, unfounded arguments, the myth has been busted.
– TheJointBlog