Marijuana use among teens continues to decline, according to CDC study

Opponents of cannabis have long claimed that legalizing it for adults would lead to an increase in teen use.

They were wrong, according to a new federal report.

Cannabis use among teenagers dropped from 2019 to 2021, hitting the lowest number in at least a decade. That’s despite more states legalizing it for medical and recreational use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavioral Survey.

In 2021, 16% of high school students reporting using cannabis in the past 30 days, compared to 22% in 2019.

Between 2011 and 2021, cannabis use declined from 26% to 14% among male high school students. For female high school students, cannabis use dropped from 20% to 18% during the same period.

For context, the first states began legalizing adult-use cannabis in 2012, although Florida remains behind that curve. As reported last week, cannabis company Trulieve is bankrolling the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is working to get recreational marijuana on the 2024 ballot.

“Female students were more likely than male students to currently use marijuana. Black students were more likely than Asian, Hispanic, and White students to currently use marijuana,” the agency said. “LGBQ+ students and students with any same-sex partners were more likely than their peers to currently use marijuana.”

The report provides more evidence that creating legal systems for adults to purchase cannabis does not lead to an increase in use among teenagers.

A version of this story first appeared in our sister paper Detroit Metro Times.

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This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2023.