The percentage of high-school students who report consuming cannabis has fallen significantly over the better part of the past decade, according to an analysis of federal data published in the journal Pediatric Reports.
A team of researchers affiliated with Florida Atlantic University reviewed marijuana use data for over 88,000 high-schoolers for the years 2011 to 2021. Data was gathered biannually by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Consistent with other studies, investigators reported: “The results of this study show declining trends in marijuana use among US high school adolescents from 2011 to 2021. The decline in marijuana use within this population is part of a broader trend in decreasing substance use during the same period. The significant decreases observed in both the ‘ever used marijuana’ and ‘currently use marijuana’ categories highlight a promising reduction in adolescent marijuana use, with usage dropping to approximately 70 percent of the levels recorded in 2011. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents who tried marijuana before age 13 decreased to about 60 percent of the 2011.”
Separate data compiled by the US Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration has similarly reported significant drops in the use of marijuana by those ages 12 to 17 over the past decade.
Commenting on the data in a recent op-ed, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano wrote: “States’ real-world experience with marijuana legalization proves that these policies can be implemented in a manner that provides regulated access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse.”
“Common sense regulations allowing for the legal, licensed commercial production and sale of cannabis best address adult consumers’ demand while keeping marijuana products largely out of the hands of young people. By contrast, the continued criminalization of cannabis only compounds the public safety risks that the unregulated marketplace poses to young people and others.”
The full text of the study, “Trends in marijuana use among adolescents in the United States,” appears in Pediatric Reports. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.’
