A new report shows that opponents of legalizing marijuana often claim it will encourage more teens to use the drug. But, in fact, cannabis consumption by teenagers has decreased across all 50 states where this policy has been implemented.
The Marijuana Policy Project’s (MPP) analysis tracks federal and state survey data on youth marijuana use, from the years prior to each state legalizing marijuana for adults up until the present. In every case, there are fewer high-school students who use cannabis today than before their state legalized marijuana.
Colorado and Washington State, for example, were the first to legalize marijuana in 2012. The Colorado Healthy Kids Survey shows that since 2012, the use of marijuana by high school students has declined by more than half (56%). Washington State Healthy Youth Survey also shows that cannabis usage has decreased by 62 percent among 8th graders.
Cannabis use among high school students in Massachusetts has dropped by half (a 51 per cent decrease) in the last decade, when the policy was changed.
Marijuana use by high school students in Arizona has declined nearly 60 percent, nearly 50 percent in Michigan, and nearly 30 in Nevada.
Adam Smith, MPP Director of Executive Affairs, stated in a release to the press that “It is simple economics.” “As the consumers begin to transition into a legally regulated market, illegal operators will start to lose business. Illegal dealers are those who sell cannabis products to children. Licensed retailers are responsible to regulators and have everything to lose. They check ID each time.”
The advocacy group’s report also includes new national data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that shows that the percentage of U.S. high school students who use marijuana is now at an all-time low—even as more states continue to legalize cannabis for adults.
New federal data released on Monday shows that 12,9 percent of high school students consume cannabis today, defined as having used the drug at least once within the last 30 days. That’s down from 23.1 percent in 2011—the year before the first U.S. states approved recreational marijuana legalization laws.
MPP report: “More that a decade of states legalizing adult cannabis has shown clear data. Legalization does NOT increase youth marijuana use.” The report states that “moving cannabis sales away from schools and streets to adult-only stores was accompanied by a reduction in youth access and cannabis use.”
The group noted that many states that have legalized marijuana allocate a portion (or all) of the tax revenues to youth prevention and education.
MPP’s Report cites data collected from national and state level youth surveys. This includes the annual Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF), which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The latest version of MTF, released late last year, found that cannabis use among eighth, 10th and 12 graders “remained stable” even as mort states enacted legalization.
The findings are in line with the results of a federal survey, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (NSDUH), released in July. It showed that 8.7 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 17 used marijuana within the past year—down from 14.2 percent in 2011.
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