Are More Young People Smoking Marijuana Since It’s Been Decriminalized in Certain States?

Throughout the years there have been many arguments posed by governments and organizations who are firmly against the legalization or even decriminalization of marijuana in the United States. These bogus arguments range from everything such as marijuana being extremely addictive and a gateway drug to fear that it leads to illegal activities such as mayhem, murder, and looting.

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Now to most of you reading this, I’m sure that you would agree that the above reasons are utter nonsense and completely unfounded. But one of the more prominent arguments is that the decriminalization of weed will lead the youth of today on a downward spiral of drug addiction and crime. Debates on the legalization of cannabis have been going on for years and are likely to continue until marijuana has been decriminalized throughout the States and all around the world for that matter.

As of 2018, cannabis is now legal for medicinal use in 30 states, 9 of which have also legalized it for recreational use. This has made the debate around how the decriminalization of marijuana affects the youth more prominent than ever before. Let us go down to the truth of this matter and see how the decriminalization of cannabis has impacted the youth of today.

What Is the Truth Behind Young People and Cannabis Use?

This is a very new area of study since the legalization of cannabis is still in its early stages and is, in fact, an ongoing issue. Therefore studies are still few and far between but as time goes on and cannabis is becoming more understood for its many health benefits, social studies into the drug and how it impacts society is sure to increase rapidly.

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For now, the question on many people’s minds is: has the legalization and increased availability of cannabis led to a dramatic increase in young people getting high? Here’s the part that may shock some of you, the answer is no.

Studies and surveys that have been carried out so far have shown no changes at all or even decreases in the amount of weed being consumed by young people in many states. Vice news has even reported that cannabis consumption among teens between the ages of 12-17 is dropping in states that have legalized it for recreational use. While it’s difficult to determine the exact reasons for this since research is still in the early stages, it is important to note that the ‘worry’ around cannabis legalization and the impact it will have on the youth is completely unfounded.

The Facts

Colorado, which is one of the most forward-thinking states when it comes to marijuana, have reported numbers which clearly show no indication of an increase in cannabis use among the youth since it was legalized for recreational use. In 2015 they found that 21% of the Colorado youth had consumed marijuana within a 30 day period. This number was surprisingly lower than the national average. Also interesting to note is that when this data was compared to that of 2009 before marijuana was legalized, there was a surprising decrease in overall use. There was a reported number of 25% of youth who admitted to smoking weed in 2009.

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Research was also since done for the year 2016 which found that the number of teens who reported smoking weed in the past year dropped from 18% to 16%. Those who reported smoking pot in the past 30 days dropped from 11% to 9%. Interesting findings to many but especially to those who deem it would have the opposite effect I’m sure.

Oregon is another state that has reported positive findings after legalizing marijuana for recreational use. While they didn’t have a decrease in percentage, they had no change at all, with the number of youth who reported to have consumed cannabis in the past year stayed on a steady 17%. Washington DC reported a significant decrease from 16% to 13% and Washington state from 15% to 13.5%.

It’s clear from the above that whether directly or indirectly, the legalization of cannabis doesn’t seem to have any impact on the youth and could even decrease the consumption rate.

Lastly, Monitoring the Future Study into drug abuse research has found that although vaping among teens was significantly high in 2017, opioid abuse was at an all-time low. Furthermore, it’s a well-known fact that the popularity of cannabis-vaping has dramatically decreased tobacco use which can only be a good thing since nicotine is so, SO bad for you.

Final thoughts

Although this whole field of study is still in its infancy, it’s fair to say that research thus far has done absolutely nothing to help the case of those who believe that cannabis would negatively impact the youth of America.

In reality, studies have shown pretty much the opposite of what critics were expecting to happen. But in all honesty, this isn’t a case of “I told you so.” The important thing is that the ignorant wake up to the fact that marijuana could be the answer to many health issues. The fact that it has decreased opioid abuse and tobacco consumption should itself be enough to convince the skeptics. It seems the reality of cannabis decriminalization is a lot more beneficial than many had thought.

SOURCE

http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2017-51515-001
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/PF_Youth_MJ-Infographic-Digital.pdf
https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future

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