In states that have legalized medical cannabis, there has not been an increase in cannabis use among those aged 12 to 17, according to a study published in The International Journal on Drug Policy. The study flies contrary to prohibitionist beliefs that loosened cannabis laws, even for medical use, will lead to increase usage rates among children.
“While states with MML (medical marijuana laws) feature higher rates of adolescent marijuana use, to date, no major U.S. national data set, including the NSDUH (US National Survey on Drug Use in Households), supports that MML are a cause of these higher use levels,” according to researchers at Columbia University. “[W]hen within-state changes are properly considered and pre-MML prevalence is properly controlled, there is no evidence of a differential increase in past-month marijuana use in youth that can be attributed to state medical marijuana laws.”
Read moreStudy Finds Medical Cannabis Legalization Doesn’t Increase Youth Usage Rates