Teen Cannabis Use Drops Dramatically in Colorado

A major concern for opponents of legalizing recreational cannabis was the fear that by increasing access to adults, it might trickle down to impressionable teenagers, and lead to more teens using cannabis. A new study shows that they don’t have anything to worry about.

According to a recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, teen cannabis use fell significantly in Colorado in 2014 and 2015. The study claims that 18.35 percent of Coloradans 12 to 17 consumed cannabis in 2014/2015. This is down from 2013/2014 when 20.81 percent of those surveyed said they used cannabis within the past year. This accounts for a massive 12 percent drop in teen cannabis use in Colorado.

Washington, another early recreational cannabis state, saw a drop in teen cannabis use as well, from 17.53 percent in 2013/2014 to 15.61 percent in 2014/2015. Nationally teen use also dropped from 12.28 percent to 12.86 percent.

“I don’t have an explanation. This is somewhat surprising,” said National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora Volkow. “We had predicted based on the changes in legalization, culture in the U.S. as well as decreasing perceptions among teenagers that marijuana was harmful that [accessibility and use] would go up. But it hasn’t gone up.”

Adult use in recreational states saw an uptick in the past year. In Colorado, the percentage of adults over 26 that consumed cannabis in the last year rose from 16.80 percent in 2013/2014 to 19.91 percent in 2014/2015.

This survey is the first concrete evidence that teen cannabis use in Colorado and Washington is on the decline. This is something supporters of cannabis legalization have been claiming for years. The cannabis community is proving that it is willing to put the necessary safeguards in place to ensure that underage consumption does not happen.

Mason Tvert, Director of Communications for the Marijuana Policy Project issued the following statement. “Decades of arresting and prosecuting countless adults failed to prevent teens from accessing and using marijuana. States like Colorado and Washington are taking a new approach and actually controlling the production and sale of marijuana. Their success has already inspired a handful of other states to adopt similar laws, and more are sure to follow.”

Some skeptics feared than a more relaxed attitude towards cannabis would lead to an increase in teen use. They feared that cannabis use amongst teenagers would be rampant at a time when their minds were still developing, which could be a riskier time to experiment. This study proves that this is not the case and will hopefully pave the way for other states to follow the trend and legalize recreational cannabis.