Teen marijuana use falling as states legalize the drug

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s not rebellious to do it anymore, or the kids are just getting high on life, but according to new federal survey data, the kids are finding Mary Jane less and less attractive.

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According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana usage in kids aged 12 to 17-years-old dropped to 6.5 percent in 2016. This drop — perhaps not so coincidentally — began in 2014 around the same time Colorado and California legalized marijuana use in their states for recreational purposes.

The survey said the last time we saw marijuana use among the youngsters this low was in 1994.

No information was released by the study to significantly point to correlations between legalization and the drop in teen usage, but the time of both events occurring together is notable.

However, use of marijuana among adults is very much on the rise, and has been since before legalization occurred. The data showed that 20.8 percent of adults aged 18-25 said they used the drug on a monthly basis, the highest since 1985. Adults aged 26 to 34 said they used it monthly at 14.5 percent.

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While some might find that disturbing, alcohol use has decreased in monthly usage from 56 percent in 2015 to 55 in 2016. It’s a small drop, but the data suggests that people are beginning to use marijuana instead of alcohol. The silver lining here is that marijuana has been proven to be less harmful to individuals and society as a whole than alcohol.

According to an April CBS Poll, support for marijuana legalization is at an all time high. While only states like Colorado, Nevada, and California allow recreational use of the drug, 29 states have approved it for medicinal uses.

(h/t: Washington Post)

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