Marijuana use by teens and young adults has remained unchanged over the past four years, according to data provided last week by the federal agency SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).
The agency’s new report, entitled Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, finds “no change” in rates of past-year cannabis use by people ages 12 to 25. Self-reported marijuana use among those ages 26 and older has increased in recent years, particularly among older adults.
SAMHSA’s data is consistent with statistics compiled by other government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Michigan, finding that cannabis use by young people has fallen to historic lows.
An analysis published earlier this year by the Marijuana Policy Project acknowledged that teen marijuana use has declined in nearly every state that has legalized and regulated the adult-use cannabis market.
“States’ real-world experience with adult use marijuana legalization affirms that these policies can be implemented in a way that provides regulated access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “To date, not a single state that has implemented legalization has reversed course. That’s because these policies are working largely as politicians and voters intended — and because they are preferable to marijuana prohibition.”
Full text of SAMHSA’s report is available online. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.’
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