More than half — 61% — of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal





Licensed dispensaries are replacing drug dealers in these states, making it harder for teenagers who aren’t of legal age to get their hands on cannabis. However, the study did not find a decrease in teen use when only medical marijuana was legalized.

“Licensed dispensaries require proof of age,” the JAMA study authors wrote. Drug dealers generally do not ID their customers.

The researchers determined the results with data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey between 1993 and 2017. Washington, D.C. and 27 states provided data on teen use before and after changes to medical marijuana laws. Seven states contributed data before and after recreational marijuana laws changed. More than 1 million high school students were included in the study.

11 states have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes

In June, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana. The law will take effect on January 1, 2020.

Illinois follows California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Colorado, Washington state, Oregon, Alaska, Vermont, Michigan, and the District of Columbia in having legalized some form recreational marijuana.

Nearly all of the presidential Democratic candidates support removing marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances.



Thirty-three states and D.C. allow medical marijuana use. And the number of states where weed is legal is likely to rise in the near future. In fact, many 2020 Democratic candidates are discussing the issue.

Nearly all of the presidential Democratic candidates support removing marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances.

Cory Booker, a senator from New Jersey and one of the 2020 candidates for the Democratic nomination, reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act this February. The act, originally introduced in 2017, would legalize marijuana in every state and expunge federal convictions of those have been arrested for marijuana use.

Other 2020 candidates, including senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, are backing the bill.

Joe Biden, the former vice president who is leading the 2020 Democratic field, said in May that “nobody should be in jail for smoking marijuana.” He supports decriminalizing the drug but not legalizing its use entirely.

More than half — 61% — of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal, according to the 2018 General Social Survey . This includes a majority of Republicans.

Teen marijuana use has dropped recently, but remains steady

In 2016, the percentage of 8th and 10th graders who reported using marijuana at least once in the past year hit its lowest point in two decades, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse . The usage rate remained approximately the same between 2016 and 2018.

In 2018, nearly 40% of high school seniors reported having used marijuana in the past year, and just under 6% said they use it every day.



In 2018, nearly 40% of high school seniors reported having used marijuana in the past year, and just under 6% said they use it every day.

Daily marijuana use is higher than daily cigarette use for teens. Vaping among high school students rose significantly between 2017 and 2018, but the most popular vaping devices among teens — like Juul — do not have marijuana in their e-liquids.

Marijuana is not necessarily considered ’gateway drug’

The health effects of marijuana use are wide-ranging. The substance can be addictive , and a University of Pennsylvania study released last June found that teens who regularly use marijuana score lower on tests measuring memory , problem-solving, and the ability to retain new information. Smoking marijuana can also increase the likelihood of heart disease and stroke, the CDC says.

Despite its risks, marijuana is not necessarily considered a “gateway drug.” Most people who use marijuana do not go on to use “harder” drugs , according to a report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.