Is Marijuana Legalization Increasing Teen Use?
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--There's been a lot of change when it comes to marijuana policy recently and some are worried it could make the drug more accessible to teens.
WJZ's Amy Yensi has more.
As the number of states legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes increases, so do concerns about the drug ending-up in the hands of teenagers.
Now, a new John's Hopkins study may help show how pot policy impacts.
Johns Hopkins Assistant professor Renee Johnson is spearheading the research of teen marijuana use from 1999 to 2013.
"What we found was that there was a decrease in the past 15 years in adolescent marijuana use," she said.
The survey of more than 115,000 high school aged boys and girls shows a 10-percent drop in marijuana use from 1999 to 2009. But in the last couple years there's been slight spike pot popularity, a 3 percent increase in 2013.
"We don't know if that's indicating a reversal in course. Or whether it's just random."
Some critics of the study say it uses outdated data and only time will tell how the recent changes in marijuana policy will impact teen use.
Substance abuse expert Mike Gimbel fears the new laws are sending a message to teens that smoking pot is okay.
"Four years ago we had a small spike in heroin in heroin, now today we have a heroine epidemic. That's how quickly the drug issue changes," said Gimbel."It's not time for panic. It's time for good public health science and close monitoring of what's going."
And with so many laws changing across the country, both sides agree the next studies will reveal if the change is cause for alarm.
Historically boys have had higher rates of marijuana use, but the study show that teen girls are now using marijuana at similar rates as teen boys.
