Despite Legal Marijuana, Teen Drug Use Declines

Earlier this year we reported that teen drug use has been shown to decline as marijuana laws become more liberalized. In California, for example, teen overdose deaths and dropout rates declined by 20 percent despite the state decriminalizing marijuana. However, at the time of that publication we had an incomplete picture of the situation.

What we didn’t know is how marijuana legalization would affect teen drug use. The argument often heard from prohibitionists is that when the perceived risks and stigma surrounding marijuana declines, teen marijuana use will increase. It is hard to fight assumptions without facts; and since recreational marijuana has only been on the market for close to a year, relevant statistics have been sparse.

That is, until now.

According to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study, teen marijuana use in the United States has declined from 26 percent to 24 percent. Marijuana use among high school seniors is at one of its lowest rates in recent memory, down from 6.5 percent to 5.8 percent. Students also reported that marijuana is actually less available than it once was, which may have something to do with the decline.

The report studied high school students nationwide from 8th, 10th and 12th grades.

In addition to a decline in marijuana use, students were also using less of the dangerous drugs, like alcohol and prescription pills. Prescription pill use declined from 16 percent to 14 percent. Teen alcohol use declined from 43 percent to 41 percent, the lowest it has ever been since statistics have been collected on the issue.

Perhaps the most encouraging statistic was the decline in teen use of spice. Spice, also known as “synthetic marijuana,” is basically what prohibitionists think marijuana is like: your heart rate goes through the roof, you become slightly psychotic or zombified, and sometimes you pee yourself. According to the study, spice use declined from 11 percent to just six percent.

There are numerous factors going into why teens have started using fewer drugs, and it is impossible to credit any individual effort. Speaking with USA Today, the study’s lead investigator, Lloyd Johnson, remarked that this set of data is encouraging, but that more work needs to be done.

“There is a lot of good news in this year’s results,” said Johnson, “but the problems of teen substance use and abuse are still far from going away.” Indeed, there is a lot still to be done but it is hard not to relish these statistics when they poke giant holes in arguments against marijuana legalization.

Of course, the prohibitionists that want to eliminate the cannabis industry are none too impressed. Kevin Sabet, founder of the prohibitionist PAC Smart Approaches to Marijuana, spoke with US News and dismissed the study:

“Though there were no significant increases in past-month marijuana use in 2014 [versus] 2013, data from 40 years of research show a consistent correlation between perception of risk and actual use,” said Sabet, “No one can credibly claim that since marijuana use is not up in 2014 versus 2013 that perception of harm and use are not related – one year a trend doth not make.”

Sabet is correct in that one year does not make a trend, but what about four years? We know the teen drug use in Colorado has been declining since 2009, we know that teen drug use in states with decriminalized marijuana is on the decline, and now we know that teen use has declined nationally this year.

A single year may not make a trend, but three different studies and several years worth of data certainly suggest something is happening.

You may be wondering to yourself why should care about teenagers getting high; and here is your answer: For year prohibitionists have been arguing that the liberalization of marijuana laws, combined with a lowering threat perception of marijuana, would lead to rampant teen drug use. As we begin to peel back prohibition, one layer at a time, we find that the opposite is true.

These facts and statistics are still important to be aware of because there are still people out there trying to take away your industry, your investment and your business. As long as we still have to fight for marijuana legalization, your investment will be challenged by prohibitionists.

Only by dismantling the arguments of your opponents will you be able to secure your future. Once people realize marijuana is not a dangerous drug, the more people you will have entering the market. A bigger market means more money for you and a more secure industry for everyone involved.

William Sumner is a freelance writer and marijuana journalist located in Panama City, FL. Passionate about writing, William is dedicated to journalistic integrity and providing quality insight on current events. You can follow him on Twitter @W_Sumner.

Related posts

Top