Teen marijuana use in Colorado hasn't increased with legalization

Teens still overwhelmingly say they do not use marijuana in Colorado.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

published 21 June 2016

Teenagers in Colorado are using marijuana at nearly the same rate after legalization as they were before cannabis became legal, revealed a report from Colorado's Health Department released Monday. "The survey shows marijuana use has not increased since legalization, with four of five high school students continuing to say they don't use marijuana, even occasionally," the health department said in a news release.

In fact, the study found that the percentage of Colorado high school students who had used marijuana in the last 30 days was lower than it was in 2009 — prior to legalization — and slightly below the national average. Just 21 percent of Colorado teens had used marijuana in the last month, compared to 25 percent in 2009.

This survey marks the second time that the Colorado health department has noted unchanged marijuana usage among teens since marijuana was legalized in the state in 2012. Though critics have long voiced concerns about the impacts of legalization on teens' use, Larry Wolk, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said that these results "reassure us at least for the time being that there is no increase in youth use."