Surprise, Surprise: Legal Pot Does Not Increase the Number of Teens Smoking

‘A lot of horror stories about marijuana and youths exist, but new data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment busts at least one of them: no, marijuana legalization doesn’t equate higher rates of teen smoking. Recreational marijuana use became legal for adults 21 and over in Colorado back in 2012. Prior to 2012, in 2009 about 25 percent of Colorado teens reportedly used marijuana. Compare that to a slightly smaller 21 percent of Colorado youths in 2015, post-legalization.
“The survey shows marijuana use has not increased since legalization, with four of five high school students continuing to say they don’t use marijuana, even occasionally,” the Colorado health department said in a statement issued to the public Monday.’
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