Openai/6944ad45-6508-8010-b958-987d179a19de

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User: what do data say about youth marijuana use in America over the past 10 years?

what do data say about youth marijuana use in America over the past 10 years?

Assistant: Here’s what major data sources and research tell us about youth marijuana cannabis use in the United States over roughl…

Here’s what major data sources and research tell us about youth marijuana (cannabis) use in the United States over roughly the past decade (especially focusing on adolescents/teens roughly ages 12–17):

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• A study analyzing Youth Risk Behavior Survey data found that current marijuana use among adolescents fell substantially from 2011 to 2021 (from about 23.1% down to 15.8%). Early-initiation (before age 13) also dropped over that period. Florida Atlantic University

- The annual Monitoring the Future survey — one of the most authoritative youth substance-use studies in the U.S. — found that reported use of most substances, including marijuana, declined sharply between 2020 and 2021, then remained low or stable through 2025. High abstention rates were reported (e.g., 91% of 8th graders reported no use in the past 30 days in 2025). National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Earlier Monitoring the Future and NIH-reported trends show that adolescent drug use has stayed below pre-pandemic levels for several years, with teen marijuana use holding steady at lower levels into 2023. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

While exact percentages vary by survey and age group, the broad pattern from Monitoring the Future is:

• Eighth graders: Relatively low and declining past-year marijuana use (~single-digit percentages). National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• 10th & 12th graders: Higher than younger teens but trending lower or stable compared to earlier years; abstinence rates are at or near historic highs. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Note: Individual survey releases usually break results down into “past 30-day use,” “past year,” and “lifetime use,” and the exact percentages shift year-to-year, but the overall trend is not upward for teens.

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• Teens’ perceived risk of marijuana has generally declined over the past decade, but this hasn’t translated into large increases in use, according to some trend data (e.g., from Drug Free CT and other public health sources). drugfreect.org

✅ Youth marijuana use in the U.S. overall has not increased over the past 10+ years and, in many measures, has declined compared with earlier periods (especially pre-2020).

✅ Use dropped significantly around 2020–21 (likely influenced by pandemic conditions) and stayed low or stable afterward. ✅ Research suggests that marijuana legalization for adults hasn’t produced a clear rise in teen cannabis use. ✅ Adolescents today tend to report lower past-month and past-year marijuana use compared to earlier decades, with abstinence rates high by historic standards.

If you want, I can share specific stats year-by-year (e.g., from Monitoring the Future tables) for key marijuana use measures (past-month and past-year use for 8th/10th/12th graders) from the last decade.

User: tell me more about the data regarding levels of youth use after legalization

tell me more about the data regarding levels of youth use after legalization

Assistant: Here’s what the research and public health data say about youth adolescent marijuana use after states legalized adult r…

Here’s what the research and public health data say about youth (adolescent) marijuana use after states legalized adult recreational cannabis in the U.S. — with a focus on actual trends and what multiple studies report rather than advocacy claims:

🧠 Key National Trends (After Legalization Began)

1. No Clear Increase in Teen Use; Many Measures Show Declines

U.S. national surveys — including the Monitoring the Future (MTF) and CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey — show that marijuana use among teens has declined* or remained stable nationally, even as more states legalized adult recreational use from 2012 onward. Past-month use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders has dropped significantly over the past decade. MPP

• Measured declines nationally include: - 8th graders: ~7.2% → ~4.3% (past-30-day use) - 10th graders: ~17.6% → ~9.5% - 12th graders: ~22.6% → ~16.2% These figures span roughly 2011 to 2024 — a period covering much of the legalization rollout. MPP
• Self-reported ease of access for marijuana among teens has also dropped over that period, suggesting less perceived availability. MPP

What this suggests: On national datasets, legalization has not corresponded with overall increases in adolescent marijuana use — and in many cases, use has declined. MPP

📍 State-Level Patterns in Legalized States

2. Long-established Legalization States Often Show Post-Legalization Drops

• In states that legalized earlier like Colorado and Washington, youth marijuana use rates have fallen significantly since before legalization. For example: - Colorado high schoolers’ past-month marijuana use dropped from ~22% (pre-legalization) to ~12.8% by 2023. - Washington State surveys show similar declines across 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. MPP

These patterns don’t prove causation, but they challenge the idea that legalization automatically drives up teen use.

📊 Scientific Research on Legalization’s Effect on Adolescents

3. Peer-Reviewed Studies Show Mixed but Mostly Neutral to Negative (Decline) Effects

• A systematic review of research found mixed findings overall: - Some studies report no significant change in youth use after legalization - Some show decreases - A smaller number show increases in certain subgroups or time periods This means the overall evidence is not uniform or unequivocal. PubMed
• A JAMA Pediatrics difference-in-difference analysis found small changes in youth use in Washington post-legalization (slightly higher in some grades) but no significant difference in Colorado — highlighting that effects can vary by state and context. JAMA Network

📉 Large National Surveys Support Stable or Declining Youth Use

4. Monitoring the Future & Other Longitudinal Surveys

• Annual national Monitoring the Future surveys (ongoing since the 1970s) have consistently shown that teen marijuana use did not spike following legalization of adult markets and in recent years even reached record low abstinence levels in the broader trend, especially entering the 2020s. Associated Press
• Historical analyses (pre-2020 data) also reported that adolescent marijuana use overall did not increase significantly in the years following legalization in Colorado and Washington. NORML

National trends thus do not support a clear increase in widespread adolescent cannabis use attributable to legalization.

🧩 Important Nuances

5. Trends Depend on Age, Grade, and Location

• Trends aren’t identical in every state; some localized analyses find small increases in select subgroups or periods, while others report declines. PubMed
• Perceptions of risk and accessibility can change with legalization, but this hasn’t translated into broad increases in usage in major national datasets.

6. Other Influences on Youth Use

• Broader societal influences — such as pandemic social shifts, reduced in-person interaction among teens, and changes in other substance use behaviors — intersect with policy effects. The Guardian
• Some critics point to localized reports of rising cannabis-related incidents among youth in specific states (e.g., New York), though such reports often use smaller datasets and are debated in interpretation. New York Post

📌 Summary: What the Data Say

Nationally and in many legalized states, youth marijuana use has not increased* after adult legalization and often has declined. MPP

• Longitudinal research findings are mixed but generally do not show large increases directly attributable to legalization. PubMed
• State-specific results vary, and localized increases in specific metrics should be interpreted carefully in context with larger trend data.

If you’d like, I can provide specific graphs or year-by-year tables from Monitoring the Future or state-by-state comparisons before and after legalization to visualize these trends more clearly.