By: Jaime Herndon

With the legalization of medical marijuana, some concerns have been raised about the impact it might have on pot use by teens. If it’s legal, or becomes legal, in the state where teen nieces and nephews live, for instance, an aunt may be concerned about whether they will be more likely to smoke pot, smoke more pot, or become “pot-heads.”

We can breathe a sigh of relief. A new study, authored by Dr. Deborah Hasin of Columbia University Medical Center, and recently published in The Lancet Psychiatry, found that after a state legalizes the use of medical marijuana, teen use of the drug does not increase. In fact, the researchers found no significant increase in teen marijuana use in the 21 states that had passed medical marijuana laws by 2014. They did find, however, that in the states that passed the laws, teen use of marijuana was already higher than in other states. Still, marijuana-use rates did not rise after it was legalized.

It’s important to still address the fact that marijuana isn’t a harmless substance, according to addiction specialists. There are valid medical uses for the drug, but it is still a drug and carries risks and dangers. Still, while a state legalizes its use for medicinal purposes, it’s unlikely it will affect a teen niece’s or nephew’s pot-usage.

Photo: mikeledray
Published: June 30, 2015