US Study Finds No Increase In Teen Marijuana Use Post Legalization

Surprising even the authors, a new study has concluded that legalisation of marijuana has not caused a spurt in use among adolescents.

According to The Guardian, marijuana has been approved for medical use in 23 states and District of Colombia. In Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon and DC marijuana is legalized for recreational use. Critics have expressed concerns about abuse following legalization.

Researchers at Colombia University Medical Center postulated the possibility of abuse before studying data from a continuing University of Michigan survey of 8, 10th and 12th graders only to find that the use of marijuana post legalization did not increase in the country though all-time use among adolescents remains high.

"Our findings, consistent with previous evidence, suggest that passage of state medical marijuana laws does not increase adolescent use of marijuana. However, overall, adolescent use is higher in states that ever passed such a law than in other states. State-level risk factors other than medical marijuana laws could contribute to both marijuana use and the passage of medical marijuana laws, and such factors warrant investigation," researchers wrote in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.

Health professionals and researchers who commented on the study called for more such studies before health policies decisions are made. The study is expected to find support among grounds demanding legalizing marijuana use in the UK.