In November 2021, Washington State passed Initiative Measure No. 502 (I-502) and Colorado passed Amendment 64, both of which legalized recreational, non-medical cannabis use for persons ages 21 and over. As of 2021, a total of 17 states have passed legislation allowing adult non-medical use of cannabis (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2021). Laws such as I-502 have led to concern about increased youth exposure and access to cannabis, which may be an unintended consequence of expanding adult access. Adolescents are a crucial at-risk population for cannabis use: rates of use among adolescents are approximately 15% for past-30-day use and 30% for lifetime use (Johnston et al., 2018). Consequences of adolescent cannabis use include academic difficulties such as dropping out of school, psychiatric impairment including memory loss, and progression to other drugs (Buckner et al., 2010; Green et al., 2010, 2017; Scott et al., 2018).
To read the full study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, click here:
https://www.jsad.com/doi/pdf/10.15288/jsad.2022.83.27
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