“We did not find compelling evidence that the implementation of adult-use marijuana sales was associated with an immediate increase in lifetime or P30D marijuana use among middle school youth in Nevada, which aligns with previous research,” the study says.
By Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment
New federally funded research into the impacts of marijuana legalization on youth use found no association between legal adult-use cannabis sales and the prevalence of consumption among middle-school students.
To test whether legal sales led to an uptick in youth use, authors compared middle-school use rates in Nevada and New Mexico, looking at 2017 and 2019 data from two state-run surveys. At the time, adult-use marijuana sales were legal in Nevada, while New Mexico allowed only medical marijuana.
In both states, researchers found increases in the proportions of students that had ever consumed cannabis as well as those who had consumed within the past 30 days.
In Nevada, the share of middle-school students who said they’d ever consumed cannabis rose during the study period, from 9.7 percent in 2017 to 13.3 percent in 2019. Past 30 day (P30D) use also rose, from 6.3 percent to 8.9 percent.
Recent Posts
The Silver Lining of Trump’s Reheated Election Denialism
Take Action Now Take Trump seriously. Take him literally. But also see his speech for what it is: He knows he’s losing.By Brian Tyler Cohen, The…
Don’t Just Nationalize AI. Democratize It.
Take Action Now Public ownership of AI is no guarantee of democracy. We need democratic public ownership to prevent elites from maintaining control…
Politicians Should Stop Hiding Behind the “Two-State Solution” Fantasy
Take Action Now Claiming to know what’s best for Palestinians is built into a colonial mindset that has propelled intervention in the region for more…
Nebraska Wants Data Centers to Come Clean About Water Usage
Take Action Now The industry can be a black box of information. But as the state deals with persistent drought, residents and regulators want more…