Teens Living In US States Allowing Medical Marijuana Smoke Less Cannabis: Study

The research study, released today in the American Journal of Drug Cancer And Medical Cannabis Alcohol Abuse utilized the outcomes of a confidential survey provided to more than 800,000 high school trainees throughout 45 states to compute the number of teenagers who smoke cannabis.

It discovered that the variety of teenage cannabis smokers was 1.1% less in states that had actually enacted medical cannabis laws (MML) compared to those that had not, even when representing other essential variables such as tobacco and alcohol policies, financial trends, youth attributes and state demographics.

«We found that for every single group of 100 adolescents, one fewer will be a present user of cannabis following the enactment of medical cannabis laws,» states Dr. Rebekah Levine Coley, a Professor of psychology at Boston College, who led the research study.

«When we looked at specific subgroups of teenagers, this decrease ended up being even more pronounced. For example 3.9% less Black and 2.7% less Hispanic youths now utilize cannabis in states with MML».

As the study was administered over a period of 16 years, the researchers were able to compare the modifications in teen’s cannabis usage in states that embraced MML with those that hadn’t, permitting them to more exactly pinpoint the effects of the legislation. Intriguingly, the research study discovered that the longer the laws had remained in place, the greater the reduction in teen cannabis use.

The outcomes shine a light on an important dispute occurring in America about the relative benefits and risks of decriminalizing cannabis.

«Some individuals have argued that decriminalizing or legalizing medical cannabis could increase cannabis use amongst youths, either by making it much easier for them to access, or by making it appear less harmful.» states Dr. Rebekah Levine Coley.

«However, we saw the opposite result. We were not able to determine why this is, but other research has actually recommended that after the enactment of medical cannabis laws, youths’ perceptions of the prospective damage of cannabis use really increased. Alternatively, another theory is that as cannabis laws are ending up being more lax, parents might be increasing their guidance of their kids, or altering how they speak with them about substance abuse.»

Importantly the research study discovered that unlike medical cannabis laws, decriminalizing recreational cannabis had no obvious effect on teenagers’ cannabis use, except for a small decline in cannabis smoking among 14-year olds and people from Hispanic backgrounds, and an increase in use amongst white adolescents. Neither policies had any result on regular or heavy users of cannabis, suggesting that these trainees are not easily affected by state laws.