Editing Openai/6944ad45-6508-8010-b958-987d179a19de (section)

=== Assistant: Here’s what major data sources and research tell us about youth marijuana cannabis use in the United States over roughl… ===
Here’s what major data sources and research tell us about youth marijuana (cannabis) use in the United States over roughly the past decade (especially focusing on adolescents/teens roughly ages 12–17):

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* A study analyzing Youth Risk Behavior Survey data found that current marijuana use among adolescents fell substantially from 2011 to 2021 (from about 23.1% down to 15.8%). Early-initiation (before age 13) also dropped over that period. Florida Atlantic University<ref>{{cite web|title=Florida Atlantic University|url=https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/marijuana-use-teens-study.php|publisher=Florida Atlantic University|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref>

===== - The annual Monitoring the Future survey — one of the most authoritative youth substance-use studies in the U.S. — found that reported use of most substances, including marijuana, declined sharply between 2020 and 2021, then remained low or stable through 2025. High abstention rates were reported (e.g., 91% of 8th graders reported no use in the past 30 days in 2025). National Institutes of Health (NIH)<ref>{{cite web|title=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|url=https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/reported-use-most-drugs-remains-low-among-us-teens|publisher=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> =====
* Earlier Monitoring the Future and NIH-reported trends show that adolescent drug use has stayed below pre-pandemic levels for several years, with teen marijuana use holding steady at lower levels into 2023. National Institutes of Health (NIH)<ref>{{cite web|title=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|url=https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/reported-drug-use-among-adolescents-continued-hold-below-pre-pandemic-levels-2023|publisher=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref>

===== - Analyses of federal survey data (e.g., the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from ~2013–2022) have reported no sustained increase in marijuana prevalence among teenagers over that period, despite rising adult legalization. NORML<ref>{{cite web|title=NORML|url=https://norml.org/blog/2024/07/24/analysis-no-increase-in-rates-of-marijuana-use-among-youth-over-past-decade/|publisher=norml.org|date=2024-07-24|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> =====

==== While exact percentages vary by survey and age group, the broad pattern from Monitoring the Future is: ====
* Eighth graders: Relatively low and declining past-year marijuana use (~single-digit percentages). National Institutes of Health (NIH)<ref>{{cite web|title=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|url=https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/reported-drug-use-among-adolescents-continued-hold-below-pre-pandemic-levels-2023|publisher=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref>
* 10th & 12th graders: Higher than younger teens but trending lower or stable compared to earlier years; abstinence rates are at or near historic highs. National Institutes of Health (NIH)<ref>{{cite web|title=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|url=https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/reported-use-most-drugs-remains-low-among-us-teens|publisher=National Institutes of Health (NIH)|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref>

Note: Individual survey releases usually break results down into “past 30-day use,” “past year,” and “lifetime use,” and the exact percentages shift year-to-year, but the overall trend is not upward for teens.

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* Teens’ perceived risk of marijuana has generally declined over the past decade, but this hasn’t translated into large increases in use, according to some trend data (e.g., from Drug Free CT and other public health sources). drugfreect.org<ref>{{cite web|title=drugfreect.org|url=https://www.drugfreect.org/marijuana/scope/|publisher=drugfreect.org|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref>

===== - Young adults (19–30) have seen rising marijuana use over the past decade — much more so than adolescents — but this is a separate demographic trend from youth (12–17). WRD News<ref>{{cite web|title=WRD News|url=https://wrdnews.org/cannabis-prevalence-rises-while-alcohol-declines/|publisher=WRD News|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> =====

===== - Multiple analyses conclude that increases in adult cannabis legalization have not caused parallel increases in teenage marijuana use over the past decade. NORML<ref>{{cite web|title=NORML|url=https://norml.org/marijuana/fact-sheets/marijuana-regulation-and-teen-use-rates|publisher=norml.org|access-date=2025-12-20}}</ref> =====

==== ✅ Youth marijuana use in the U.S. overall has not increased over the past 10+ years and, in many measures, has declined compared with earlier periods (especially pre-2020). ====
✅ Use dropped significantly around 2020–21 (likely influenced by pandemic conditions) and stayed low or stable afterward.
✅ Research suggests that marijuana legalization for adults hasn’t produced a clear rise in teen cannabis use.
✅ Adolescents today tend to report lower past-month and past-year marijuana use compared to earlier decades, with abstinence rates high by historic standards.

If you want, I can share specific stats year-by-year (e.g., from Monitoring the Future tables) for key marijuana use measures (past-month and past-year use for 8th/10th/12th graders) from the last decade.