Buffalo, NY (WBEN/AP) A person who specializes in the treatment of young drug addicts says she doesn't believe a study that shows a slight dip in the odds of a teen using marijuana in a state where recreational pot use is legalized for adults.
Altman says legalizing marijuana is about only one thing. "I keep saying this is about money. This is people in power wanting money. Tell me are we going to put money into treatment and if you give me an unlimited budget, maybe I can wrap my arms around it. Right now, we do not support this."
The researchers analyzed national youth health and behavior surveys from 1993 through 2017 that included questions about marijuana use. Responses from 1.4 million high school students were included.
Thirty-three states have passed medical marijuana laws and 11 have legalized recreational use — generally for ages 21 and up, many during the study years. The researchers looked at overall changes nationwide, but not at individual states.
There was no change linked with medical marijuana legislation but odds of teen use declined almost 10% after recreational marijuana laws were enacted.
The study was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
