slimvictor
Bluelight Crew
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Study finds teen pot use decreased by 10% between 2002 and 2013, adding to growing body of data suggesting legalization is not dangerous for adolescents
Rates of adolescent marijuana use and abuse have declined across the US, according to an unprecedented study that casts doubts on one of the central arguments against legalizing weed.
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis surveyed 216,852 teenagers from all 50 states and found that the number of adolescents with marijuana-related disorders dropped by 24% from 2002 to 2013. During that period, overall teen pot use also decreased by 10%, despite the fact that more than a dozen states legalized medical marijuana and decriminalized the drug during that time.
“It’s obvious that the whole concern about youth drug abuse is bogus,” said Dale Gieringer, director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws’ chapter in California, where residents will vote on recreational pot in November.
The Washington University survey is the first study to examine trends in teens with “marijuana use disorders”, such as becoming dependent on the drug or struggling in school or in relationships as a result of cannabis use. The findings add to a growing body of research that suggests that decriminalizing weed and making pot legally accessible do not lead to the disaster scenarios of youth drug use that critics have long feared.
During the 12-year period of the study, 10 states relaxed criminal sanctions against adult marijuana use, and 13 states implemented medical weed.
A key finding from the research, which collected data from teens aged 12 to 17, is that patterns in youth marijuana use are closely tied to broader trends in adolescent behavior – a connection that the authors say is much stronger than any potential correlations between use and legalization.
The study found that the decline in teen pot abuse was linked to overall reductions in behavioral problems, such as fighting and stealing. In other words, as youth over time have become less likely to engage in bad behavior or criminal activity, they have also become less likely to abuse pot.
That means improvements in adolescent mental health may be driving the drop in pot disorders – a trend that outweighs the impacts decriminalization and legalization may have on youth abuse, said Richard Grucza, associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University and lead author of the study.
“If we want kids not to get in trouble with marijuana or other drugs, we really need to look at healthier childhood development,” he said.
cont at
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/25/teen-adolescent-marijuana-weed-pot-use-abuse-decline
Rates of adolescent marijuana use and abuse have declined across the US, according to an unprecedented study that casts doubts on one of the central arguments against legalizing weed.
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis surveyed 216,852 teenagers from all 50 states and found that the number of adolescents with marijuana-related disorders dropped by 24% from 2002 to 2013. During that period, overall teen pot use also decreased by 10%, despite the fact that more than a dozen states legalized medical marijuana and decriminalized the drug during that time.
“It’s obvious that the whole concern about youth drug abuse is bogus,” said Dale Gieringer, director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws’ chapter in California, where residents will vote on recreational pot in November.
The Washington University survey is the first study to examine trends in teens with “marijuana use disorders”, such as becoming dependent on the drug or struggling in school or in relationships as a result of cannabis use. The findings add to a growing body of research that suggests that decriminalizing weed and making pot legally accessible do not lead to the disaster scenarios of youth drug use that critics have long feared.
During the 12-year period of the study, 10 states relaxed criminal sanctions against adult marijuana use, and 13 states implemented medical weed.
A key finding from the research, which collected data from teens aged 12 to 17, is that patterns in youth marijuana use are closely tied to broader trends in adolescent behavior – a connection that the authors say is much stronger than any potential correlations between use and legalization.
The study found that the decline in teen pot abuse was linked to overall reductions in behavioral problems, such as fighting and stealing. In other words, as youth over time have become less likely to engage in bad behavior or criminal activity, they have also become less likely to abuse pot.
That means improvements in adolescent mental health may be driving the drop in pot disorders – a trend that outweighs the impacts decriminalization and legalization may have on youth abuse, said Richard Grucza, associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University and lead author of the study.
“If we want kids not to get in trouble with marijuana or other drugs, we really need to look at healthier childhood development,” he said.
cont at
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/25/teen-adolescent-marijuana-weed-pot-use-abuse-decline
