When States Legalize Pot, More Teens Light Up
FRIDAY, May 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Pot use among U.S. minors increases when states legalize recreational cannabis for adults, according to a new study.
University of California, San Diego researchers tracked more than 6,900 youths and almost 15,000 adults, using data from a national assessment. The team found that in states where recreational cannabis use was legal for those 21 and up, young people ages 12 to 20 were more likely to use pot, even though it was illegal for those ages. Adults also had an increased likelihood of cannabis use.
"Our findings provide useful information to policymakers and public health practitioners interested in understanding the consequences of legalizing recreational cannabis," said principal investigator Yuyan Shi, an associate professor at UC San Diego School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
"It's especially concerning that increased cannabis use occurs among young people because of the detrimental health effects associated with cannabis use at a young age, including impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease and adverse effects on mental health," Shi said in a university news release.
Study participants came from four states with legal recreational cannabis (California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine), 11 states that allow medical cannabis and 17 states that prohibit cannabis use. States where marijuana is legal can be found here.
The findings were published online in the May 26 issue of Addiction.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on marijuana and public health.
SOURCE: University of California, San Diego, news release, May 26, 2022
Related Posts
CDC Supports Second COVID-19 Booster for Americans 50 Years and Older
WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Hours after the U.S. Food and Drug...
Difelikefalin Improves Itch Intensity in Notalgia Paresthetica
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Oral treatment with difelikefalin...
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Nov. 10-14
The annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology...
Psychosis Risk Rises When People Abuse ‘Speed’
TUESDAY, Feb. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Amphetamines can pull people into a...