Association of State Recreational Marijuana Laws With Adolescent Marijuana Use

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Historical shifts are occurring in marijuana policy. The effect of legalizing marijuana for recreational use on rates of adolescent marijuana use is a topic of considerable debate.OBJECTIVE To examine the association between the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Washington and Colorado in 2012 and the subsequent perceived harmfulness and use of marijuana by adolescents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSWe used data of 253 902 students in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades from 2010 to 2015 from Monitoring the Future, a national, annual, cross-sectional survey of students in secondary schools in the contiguous United States. Difference-indifference estimates compared changes in perceived harmfulness of marijuana use and in past-month marijuana use in Washington and Colorado prior to recreational marijuana legalization (2010-2012) with postlegalization (2013-2015) vs the contemporaneous trends in other states that did not legalize recreational marijuana use in this period. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESPerceived harmfulness of marijuana use (great or moderate risk to health from smoking marijuana occasionally) and marijuana use (past 30 days). RESULTSOf the 253 902 participants, 120 590 of 245 065(49.2%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 15.6 (1.7) years. In Washington, perceived harmfulness declined 14.2% and 16.1% among eighth and 10th graders, respectively, while marijuana use increased 2.0% and 4.1% from 2010-2012 to 2013-2015. In contrast, among states that did not legalize recreational marijuana use, perceived harmfulness decreased by 4.9% and 7.2% among eighth and 10th graders, respectively, and marijuana use decreased by 1.3% and 0.9% over the same period. Difference-in-difference estimates comparing Washington vs states that did not legalize recreational drug use indicated that these differences were significant for perceived harmfulness (eighth

Adolescent E-Cigarette, Hookah, and Conventional Cigarette Use and Subsequent Marijuana Use

“…E-cigarette and hookah use is more prevalent than combustible cigarette smoking among adolescents, yet e-cigarettes and hookah are far less regulated. 10,37 Federal regulations do not currently restrict youthtargeted advertising and promotion or sales of youth-friendly flavors of 31,39 With the data from the current study, we raise questions regarding the impact of less restrictive policies on the use and co-use of newer tobacco products and marijuana in the adolescent population. These data are used to support strict policies to prevent tobacco product and marijuana product sales to minors.…”

Marijuana and acute health care contacts in Colorado

“…In Colorado, past month use increased from 10.1% in 2008/2009 to 16.6% in 2014/2015 (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2016; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2010). Initial reports of adolescent marijuana use have gone up in Washington, while have not changed in Colorado (Cerda et al, 2017). Unintentional pediatric exposures have gone up in states that have legalized medical marijuana (Wang et al, 2014).…”

Prevalence of Cannabis Use in Youths After Legalization in Washington State

“…Cerdá et al 1 analyzed data from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future survey (MTF) and used difference-in-differences methods to compare cannabis use prevalence trends among youths in Washington with use in states without legalization of recreational marijuana. Because the MTF is not designed to provide state-representative estimates, the article generated covariate-adjusted modeled prevalence estimates for each state.…”