Teen odds of using marijuana dip with recreational use laws - US study

CHICAGO (AP) — New research suggests legalising recreational marijuana for U.S. adults in some states may have slightly reduced teens’ odds of using pot.

One reason may be that it’s harder and costlier for teens to buy marijuana from licensed dispensaries than from dealers, said lead author Mark Anderson, a health economist at Montana State University.

The researchers analysed national youth health and behaviour surveys from 1993 through 2017 that included questions about marijuana use.

Responses from 1.4 million high school students were included.

Thirty-three states have passed medical marijuana laws and 11 have legalised recreational use — generally for ages 21 and up, many during the study years.

The researchers looked at overall changes nationwide, but not at individual states.

There was no change linked with medical marijuana legislation but odds of teen use declined almost 10% after recreational marijuana laws were enacted.

The study was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

Previous research has found no effect on teen use from medical marijuana laws, and conflicting results from recreational marijuana laws.

The new results echo a study showing a decline in teen use after sales of recreational pot began in 2014 in Washington state.

The results “should help to quell some concerns that use among teens will actually go up. This is an important piece when weighing the costs and benefits of legalisation,” Anderson said.

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