A federal health official announced on Wednesday that teen marijuana use had not increased, “even though state legalization spread across the nation.” The latest results of an annual survey showed once again that prohibitionist fears about youth cannabis accessibility have “not been realized.”
The 2022 Monitoring the Future survey, which is being conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA, found that cannabis usage rates for the past year “remained stable” for all three grade levels surveyed. They remained below the pre-pandemic levels of use even though more states opened up their adult marijuana markets.
Marsha Lopez of NIDA’s Epidemiological Research Branch responded to Marijuana Moment in a webinar Wednesday by saying that there had been no significant increases. “In fact they haven’t reported an increase in perceived accessibility either, which is sort of interesting.”
According to these data, “Whatever is happening in the country with [legalization of] adult use hasn’t really affected the younger people,” she said.
MTF is a great way to track your progress.
MTF’s survey of teens, which asked them for the first-time about delta-8 THC use, revealed that marijuana was used by 8.3 percent of eighth graders in the past year, 17.8 for tenth graders, and 29 for twelve graders.
Lopez stated that while 11 additional states will legalize marijuana between 2020 and 2022, the data from the survey shows the “liberalization” of marijuana policies by states is not translating to an increase in perceptions of accessibility among teenagers. In fact, this has been declining over the years.
There has also been a “steadier decline in perceptions of harm” from using cannabis, “without the corresponding increase in use we might have expected as in the past.”
The MTF data released earlier in the year shows that these trends will continue even though adult marijuana use and certain psychedelics are expected to reach “historic highs by 2022.
Prohibitionists have argued for years that legalizing adult use would increase underage usage. Advocates argue that setting up regulated markets, where IDs are verified and other safeguards put in place, effectively restricts access to youth. Multiple studies have confirmed this.
Lopez stated on Wednesday that there is also a “relatively small prevalence” of cannabis daily use. This has been “remarkably stable for the past 10 years.” This is notable, considering the fact that the first recreational marijuana markets in states opened a decade or so ago.
Via MTF.
The survey data may not be representative of all states. However, NIDA and University of Michigan compared marijuana-related indicators between teens in states that have legalized medical marijuana and those where cannabis is illegal. The survey found that there was no statistically significant differences in the rates of marijuana use over the past year across all grades, regardless of state laws on medical marijuana.
There were no significant differences between the 10th and 12th grades in terms of perceptions of risks, availability, or disapproval.
Via MTF.
Eighth-grade students in states that allow medical cannabis use were slightly less likely to see it as a risk and said there was a slight increase in availability. However, their rates of use were not significantly different.
The survey revealed that the majority of teens using marijuana continue to smoke it. The survey found that there has been a gradual change in the way teens consume marijuana, with more using edibles or vaping.
Via MTF.
The MTF 2022 study includes data for the first time on the use by teens of delta-8 THC intoxicants, which are usually derived from hemp, a federally legal crop, and sold in an unregulated market. However, some states have passed restrictions or banned these products.
The study found that 11,4 percent of 12th-grade students reported using delta-8 THC in the past year. NIDA has said that future surveys will also ask eighth and tenth graders to report their cannabinoid use. Richard Miech said that the MTF team leader was “surprised” to see such high levels of use among 12th graders.
In a separate federally funded study published this month, indicated that states prohibiting marijuana may “unintentionally promote” the use of unregulated delta-8-thc products. A separate federally-funded study published in this month indicated that states banning marijuana could “unintentionally” promote the use of Delta-8 products.
The MTF survey results show that youth cannabis consumption is stable. However, another study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that rates for current and lifetime cannabis usage among high school students continue to decline amid the legalization campaign.
The data shows that high school students’ use of marijuana increased from 2009 to 2013 – before legal dispensaries opened – but has declined since then. Voters approved the first recreational legalization laws in 2012. Retail sales began in 2014.
The study, which was published in Massachusetts last month, found that youths were not more likely to use cannabis after legalization but that more students believed that their parents used cannabis after the policy change.
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published a separate NIDA-funded report last year that found state-level marijuana legalization was not associated with an increase in youth cannabis use.
The study showed that “youths who spent more time in legalization during their adolescence were no more likely or less to have used marijuana at 15 years of age than adolescents who had spent little or no period under legalization.”
Another federally-funded study by researchers at Michigan State University , published in PLOS One in last year’s issue of the journal PLOS One , found that cannabis retail sales could be followed in some states by an increase in cannabis-onsets among older adults. However, this was not the case for those underage who are prohibited from buying cannabis products through retail outlets.
In a Gallup survey, it was found that more than half of American adults had tried marijuana in the past, and that cannabis consumption rates were higher than tobacco. According to a Gallup poll, 29 percent of people aged 18-34 smoke marijuana. However, this is not representative of cannabis consumption as the survey asked only about smoking, not edibles, tinctures, or vaping.
A federally funded study finds that states that ban marijuana may ‘unintentionally promote’ unregulated Delta-8-THC products
Photo by Carlos Grancia.
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