One of the common lies told by the Anti Marijuana camp is that legalization of recreational marijuana will lead to increased teen marijuana use. If the numbers from Colorado are any indication, this is the opposite of reality.
The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment released a study showing that Teen Marijuana use is on the decline in the state.
There are two reason for the decline of marijuana use amongst teens in a state where recreational marijuana use is legal. The first reason is that recreational marijuana stores ID buyers, and don’t sell to minors. Recreational marijuana stores negatively effect the profitability of illegal sales reducing the availability to underage buyers. When I was a teenager in Florida, it was far easier to buy marijuana illegally, then it was to buy alcohol. Illegal marijuana doesn’t require you to be over 18 to buy it. The second reason marijuana use among teens is on the decline in Colorado is because legal marijuana is not as cool or rebellious as it was when it was illegal. Simply put, making marijuana legal, makes it “less cool”.
[…] Colorado Teen Marijuana Use Declining […]