Teen Marijuana Use Remains Steady in the United States Despite Legalization of Recreational Use

According to the High School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey, 23.4% of teens reported using marijuana within the last 30 days. This percentage is nearly identical to rates from 2011 and is less than rates from 1999.

Despite the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medicinal use in some states, research has shown that this has had no effect on the rate of marijuana use among U.S. high school students. Between 2011 and 2013, the rate essentially remained unchanged, increasing by 0.3% from 23.1% to 23.4%. During this two-year span, five states legalized marijuana for medicinal use and the first two states legalized marijuana for recreational use.

The biennial High School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey, which began in 1991, is provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The total rate among male and female high school students who smoked marijuana in the last 30 days was only 14.7% in 1991 compared to 23.4% in 2013. But the highest rate came in 1999 when 26.7% of teens reported using marijuana, including 30.8% of males.

However, this is not the only study that documented the steady rates of marijuana use among U.S. teens. Research conducted back in April also helps reaffirm the information from the CDC. The study, "The Impact of State Medical Marijuana Legislation on Adolescent Marijuana Use," was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The researchers sought to assess the impact of medical marijuana legalization on adolescent marijuana use in states with and without such laws.

Interestingly enough, the study mentioned above used data from the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey between 1991 and 2011, providing a more comprehensive picture. It included responses from 11,703,100 high school students and found no statistically significant evidence in marijuana use before and after a law change regarding the drug.

"Rates of teen alcohol and cigarette use have dropped, and we didn't have to arrest any adults for using them," said Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project, in this Huffington Post article. "We could see the same results by regulating marijuana. Regulation works."

You can read more about marijuana use among U.S. teenagers on the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.