Government survey data released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirm that the passage of state-specific marijuana legalization laws has had no negative impact on cannabis use among youth.
Data from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that teens are far less likely to report using cannabis today than they were nearly a decade ago.
Specifically, NSDUH data show that the percentage of 12- to 17-year-olds who reported having tried marijuana fell 18 percent from 2014 to 2023. The number who reported using cannabis in the past year fell 15 percent. The percentage of teens who reported currently using marijuana fell 19 percent.
In 2014, Colorado became the first state to regulate retail sales of cannabis products to adults. Today, 24 states—home to more than half of the U.S. population—have legalized marijuana use for people 21 and older.
According to the latest NSDUH report, marijuana use among teens has declined slightly year-over-year.
Commenting on the federal survey data, Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, said, “Sensationalist claims that adult-use cannabis laws are linked to higher marijuana use among teens are simply not supported by reliable data. These government findings should reassure lawmakers that access to cannabis can be legislated in a safe and effective way and that young people’s habits will not be inadvertently influenced.”
The NSDUH data are consistent with data on marijuana use among youth previously published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and others, which find a steady decline in marijuana use rates among youth.
For more information, see the NORML fact sheet “Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.”
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