US marijuana legalisation has not led to rise in use by adolescents, study finds
Data on one million teenagers shows marijuana use did not increase in US states where it was legalised, with fall among youngest children
The Guardian (UK)
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Legalising the medical use of cannabis has not led to a surge in the numbers of adolescents using it in the USA, according to new research that surprised its authors and will encourage those hoping for relaxation of the law elsewhere. However, the findings from 24 years of data from more than one million adolescents in the 48 contiguous states did not substantiate fears that cannabis use would rise, especially among teenagers. A paper in the journal Lancet Psychiatry says that the use of cannabis by adolescents was already higher in the states that have opted for medical legalisation. But the change in the law did not lead to a jump in numbers.
