Colorado Report Says Adolescent Marijuana Use ‘Has Not Changed Since Legalization’

A study finds that there has not been an increase in adolescent marijuana use in Colorado since the plant was legalized in 2012.

That’s counter-intuitive to the prevailing wisdom. 

According to a new report from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), cannabis consumption by teenagers in that state “has not changed since legalization either in terms of the number of people using or the frequency of use among users.” That conclusion is based partly on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the same source that prohibitionists cite when they claim legalization has boosted adolescent pot smoking in Colorado.

The difference is that the CDPHE pays attention to confidence intervals, which show that nominal increases in marijuana use have not been statistically significant. Here is the CDPHE’s graph of NSDUH prevalence numbers for teenagers, which also includes data from the Health Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS):

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Via Reason

Right-Mind