State laws legalizing marijuana access for adults are not associated with any increase in the number of hospitalized teens presenting symptoms of cannabis use disorder (CUD), according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
Penn State University investigators assessed inpatient discharge records for over 2.8 million young people (ages 10-17) in 13 states. They found no evidence linking legalization with any statistically significant increase in the prevalence of CUD diagnoses among adolescents treated in US inpatient hospital settings. (Cannabis use disorder is diagnosed in subjects who meet at least two of 11 criteria required by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition.)
“This multi-state analysis of adolescent inpatient encounters across 13 US states between 2008 and 2020 found no consistent evidence that state nonmedical cannabis legalization was associated with an increase in the prevalence of CUD diagnoses among adolescents,” the study’s authors concluded. “Across multiple models and demographic subgroups, the analysis consistently found a null association, suggesting that the prevalence of this clinical diagnosis remained stable following major policy shifts.”
Commenting on the findings, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These results should further reassure the public and policymakers that cannabis can be regulated for adults in a manner that doesn’t adversely impact young people.”
Federally funded survey data compiled by the University of Michigan in December reports that marijuana use by adolescents has fallen significantly since states began regulating adult-use cannabis markets and now stands at or near historic lows. Compliance check data from legal states consistently finds that licensed cannabis retailers are more likely than alcohol proprietors to deny those without proper ID entry to their facilities.
The abstract of the study, “Nonmedical cannabis legalization and adolescent in-patient cannabis use disorder, 2008-2020: A quasi-experimental analysis,” appears in the International Journal of Drug Policy. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.’
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