Study reveals legalising cannabis does NOT increase use concerning teenagers.

Scientists found no evidence that passing laws in 23 US states encouraged teenagers to use marijuana. Analysed more than one million adolescents aged 13 to 18 years old. Since 1996, 23 states have legalised use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Legalising marijuana does not encourage more young people to use the drug, scientists have today concluded. A new study of more than one million adolescents in the US has found no evidence of a link between making the drug available for medical use, and increased use in teenagers.

Covering 48 states in the US, the study analysed data over 24 years from 1991 to 2014 - both before and after laws legalising cannabis. Since 1996, 23 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation allowing medical use of the drug. But the move has provoked concern that such legislation will result in more teenagers trying and regularly using cannabis. However, researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center found 'no significant difference' in adolescent use in 21 states.

Dr Deborah Hasin, Professor of epidemiology at the university in New York, said: 'Our findings provide the strongest evidence to date that marijuana use by teenagers does not increase after a state legalises medical marijuana. 'Rather, up to now, in the states that passed medical marijuana laws, adolescent marijuana use was already higher than in other states. 'Because early adolescent use of marijuana can lead to many long-term harmful outcomes, identifying the factors that actually play a role in adolescent use should be a high research priority.'
Researchers examined the relationship between legalisation of medical marijuana and teenage use of the drug, but analysing the national Monitoring The Future survey. The survey covers more than one million students in grades eight, 10 and 12, aged 13 to 18, between 1991 and 2014.

SOURCE

I support the legalization however believe it should be controlled - meaning anyone under the age of 21 should not have access to marijuana unless prescribed by their doctor.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

I think it could easily be the case, teenagers like to rebel and if its legal then what is there to rebel about?

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Exactly, take the taboo out of it and it loses its appeal.

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Well they're underage so it's still illegal.

I'm for legalization but I do think that it will be slightly easier for teens to get ahold of. It wasn't ever hard back in my day, but beer was easier.

Either way, children possibly doing something shouldn't make the thing illegal. I'm more worried about a kid going on a joyride or getting a gun.

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: alienjuggalo
I'm for legalization but I do think that it will be slightly easier for teens to get ahold of. It wasn't ever hard back in my day, but beer was easier.

Just getting onto a pack cigarette's was far more of a hassle when I was in high school. It's not like I grew up in some rough area or something either, just a totally boring upper middle class suburb.

Anyway, we've known from the cannabis tolerance experiment in the Netherlands that it doesn't increase use at all in the long term, for teens or adults.

a reply to: Domo1

I'm for legalization but I do think that it will be slightly easier for teens to get ahold of. It wasn't ever hard back in my day, but beer was easier.

And easier is still a problem...in some cases it is easier to get heroin or ice,i would prefer my kids had access to MJ before that other garbage....

Weed is not the problem, they need to crack down on all the pain clinics writing scrips for money.
Prescription drugs are an epidemic.

I don't use any drugs or alcohol, but I'm not against weed and alcohol, in moderation it can be a pleasant thing for people.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

So basically one more fear-mongering argument turned out to be fake.

It's frustrating how easily people fall for fear-mongering in the first place. It's hard to consider this an actual "civilized" nation when our leaders can't even discuss issues like this with facts & science. It's always some emotionally driven and highly exaggerated "threat". And people fall for it every time.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

This is really a battle between big pharma lobbyists and politicians determined to keep cannabis, a natural medicine with few side affects out of the public domain. Plus of course to feed the prison system with its mass voting rights and fear factor of control over the populace. etc.

Anything herbal is getting the elbow as far as the chemical health industry is concerned - yet it was pointed out to us that all cancer research is deliberately ineffective, so we know we have a very sick pharma industry manufacturing purely for profit which we all know needs changing. In fact it should be illegal to waste money on research that is deliberately designed not to produce cures for cancer, trying to prove it though would probably be expensive and time-consuming, but big pharma is well practiced at this.

of course it doesn't...

Anyone interested in trying this substance, will find it at some point either it is legal or not...

Proof is the fact that the majority of youth had already try it at least once when it was still illegal

Legalization didn't promote this substance to people that didn't have interest in it, it just ensured quality, destroyed the black market, helped with the economy and turned our children away from criminals that used this harmless stuff to push crack, coc aine and heroine to our kids.

Anyone who doesn't see the above, is just in denial.

Here in Denmark, the high court of so-called free spirit, we are still battling the stigma, still fighting the witch hunt.

The media, lead by the so-called experts, who are merely people who looks at statistical numbers, boom out every now and then the same old speech. Lots of talk about how dangerous it is for the young mind ( which I total conquer with... you shouldn't mess around with alcohol, tobacco or cannabis till your brain is done building itself ), but they always seem to focus on the symptoms.... never the solution, and they always advocate for the irrational; prohibition and MORE MORE MORE information about this horrible drug!!

Well, at least American science can be honest and tell it like it is, instead of hiding it under political agendas or ill informed predetermination.

I hope we some day here decide to go fully legal on cannabis, since it's actually only causing harm being illegal.
The vast majority of the sales here are controlled by the biker gangs like Hells Angels and Bandidos.

Imagine how we could take away a large chunk of their income by legalising cannabis, making state owned farms, state owned shops and funnelling the income into educating the young ones about waiting with experimenting till they are past the age of 21.

So many issues would be resolved by a single stroke of pen on a legislation paper.

a reply to: Dr1Akula

From your use of the past tense, I gather that you hail from one of the blessed (and I truly mean that) locales which have done away with cannabis prohibition. I desperately hope that some day everybody on the planet can refer to the 'bad old days' of reefer madness in the past tense.

I have a feeling that unless we see another Tory majority government here in Canada coming out of the next federal election, we here north of the border will see cannabis federally legalized within 2 years. Perhaps sooner, fingers crossed.

Cannabis has been used as both a physical and spiritual medicine for many thousands of years. It even shows up in the Old Testament and the Torah, under the name (transliterated from ancient Hebrew) Kaneh Bosm - cannabis (etymology is fun!), as an ingredient in medicine and anointing oils. Many other ancient cultures of the near east used it as well, including the Scythians (who were prodigious consumers of cannabis in its smoked form), from whom the Hebrews originally got both the seeds/plants and their name for it.

Can't we all just pretend that the first half of the 20th century didn't happen? How goddamned arrogant people were, folks like ol' Harry 'Ballsac' Anslinger who up and decided that this plant that our species has been using for an eternity should be illegal. And how goddamned evil were (and are) all of the LEOs the world over who are STILL, TO THIS DAY sending people to jail/prison over a plant that makes them feel happy. The only cops I have any respect for whatsoever are those who are vocal members of LEAP. (ETA: And those who investigate homicides, rapes, child molestations.. the really big stuff, I gotta respect them too. This is one of those instance where I have to remind myself that not every LEO is looking to lock people up for cannabis )The rest of them, .

a reply to: DeathSlayer

That falls in line with experiences around the world , the argument to criminise people for their choice of recreation is again shown to be invalid.

"The Dutch experience, together with those of a few other countries with more modest policy changes, provides a moderately good empirical case that removal of criminal prohibitions on cannabis possession (decriminalization) will not increase the prevalence of marijuana or any other illicit drug; the argument for decriminalization is thus strong."
norml.org...

Now truth is beginning to triumph long time propaganda. Amazing how quite this study has been here and elsewhere.