(WASHINGTON, DC) – A major new study published in the November 2024 issue of the highly regarded Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that recreational marijuana legalization increases past-month youth use by 13%. Crucially, past-month use is indicative of regular use. The comprehensive study, which conducted a meta-analysis that identified 4,604 citations, confirms that legalization is harming our kids. The study also found that recreational legalization increases the odds of past-month marijuana use among young adults by 22%.
“This study is devastating and monumental. With each passing day, the science becomes clearer: marijuana commercialization is damaging public health. This study, published in one of the most prestigious journals in the pediatric world, validates what public health advocates have been saying for years: legalizing and normalizing marijuana increases use—specifically, youth use. The marijuana industry has targeted our children for years, aggressively marketing kid-friendly, high-potency THC drugs across the country,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, three-time former White House drug policy advisor and President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM).
“Unfortunately, the marijuana industry relies on legalization driving up youth use. By hooking a new generation of users, Big Marijuana ensures that its addiction-for-profit scheme is successful. Lawmakers and parents across the country need to understand that today’s marijuana is not the Woodstock Weed of the 1970s. Marijuana dispensaries are selling dangerous products with upwards of 99% THC potency.
“We are not rejoicing. These are real lives we are talking about. Real families. Pushing back against legalization is not only key to reducing youth marijuana use, but also to protecting families and individuals around the nation.”