Marijuana Use Among Teens in Colorado Has Gone Down

​ The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) Healthy Kids Colorado Survey found that marijuana use among youths has steadily declined over the last few years.

The results showed young people were 35 percent less likely to use cannabis in 2021 than in prior years.

Colorado was one of the first states to legalize marijuana for adult use, and so data on underage consumption has been a focal point for both advocates and opponents of reform.

Advocates say that the survey data over time going back to 2013 reflects how regulating access for adults minimizes the risk of adolescent cannabis use.

Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, told Marijuana Moment, “These findings ought to reassure lawmakers and others that cannabis access for adults can be regulated in ways that do not inadvertently impact young people’s habits."

Another interesting point from the study was that youths’ access to cannabis has gone down. Far fewer young people reported being able to find and access cannabis after state legalization, than before when it was an unregulated market.

There has also been an increase in youths’ awareness of cannabis use risks.

​Colorado’s former governor, who currently serves as the U.S. Democratic Senator for Colorado, John Hickenlooper, was initially opposed to Colorado legalizing cannabis. He said, “a big focus for me was I was so nervous about kids.” But, “I think we’ve proven and demonstrated that there is no increase in experimentation among teenagers. There is no change in frequency of use, no change in driving while high—all the things we most worried about didn’t come to pass.”   

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