The 2022 Arizona Youth Survey State Report provided the percentage of Arizona’s 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who reported that they acquired marijuana from marijuana stores in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
In November 2010, Arizona legalized medical marijuana and on November 30th, 2020, Arizona legalized and commercialized marijuana. Between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of users in 8th grade who obtained it from a marijuana store within Arizona increased by 21.7%, from 6.9% to 8.4%. Likewise, the percentage of users in 10th grade who obtained it increased by 56.0%, from 8.4% to 13.1%, and the percentage among users in 12th grade increased by 55.6%, from 13.5% to 21.0%.
Arizona law prohibits marijuana sales to anyone under 21, but Arizona high schoolers claim they are acquiring products from marijuana stores. If liquor stores are caught distributing alcohol to minors, the owner could face imprisonment, heavy fines, and even have their store and license revoked. Marijuana stores should be held to the same standard. Regulators must adopt stricter regulations against the industry and begin performing more underage compliance checks.