Since states first began considering medical marijuana laws, claims have frequently been made that the laws “send the wrong message” to adolescents, causing their marijuana use to increase. Now, more than a quarter of a century since the passage of the nation’s first effective state medical cannabis law, a considerable body of data has found that those fears were not warranted.
Forty-one states and Washington, D.C. now have effective medical marijuana laws.[1] In 36 of the states, government surveys have produced before-and-after data on teens’ marijuana use. In 31 of the states, the data indicates overall decreases.
Other researchers and health experts have examined the data and have also found the data to be reassuring. As an exhaustive 2019 study published in JAMA Pediatrics concluded, “Consistent with the results of previous researchers, there was no evidence that the legalization of medical marijuana encourages marijuana use among youth.”[2]
Below is a review of the most comprehensive data on teens’ current (past 30-day) marijuana use in each medical cannabis state. In all states where such data is available, rates are presented for all high schoolers. In states where that data is not available, this uses data from the oldest grade with before-and-after data: 11th grade in California, Oregon, and Minnesota, and 12th grade in Washington. The state data is sorted in chronological order, with the oldest laws first.
State
Pre-Law Current Use Rates
Most Recent Use Rates
Trend?
Data Source
California (1996)
25.9% (11th graders, 1995/1996)
6% (11th graders, 2023-2025)
decrease (changed survey)
California Student Survey and California Healthy Youth Survey
Alaska (1998)
28.7% (1995)
17.9% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Oregon (1998)
21% (11th graders, 1998)
12.0% (11th graders, 2022)
decrease (changed survey)
Oregon Public Schools Drug Use Survey and Oregon Student Health Survey
Washington (1998)
28.7% (12th graders, 1998)
16.3% (12th graders, 2024)
decrease (changed survey)
Washington State Survey of Adolescent Health Behaviors and Healthy Youth Survey
Maine (1999)
30.4% (1997)
18.4%% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Hawai’i (2000)
24.7% (1999)
14.0% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Nevada (2000)
25.9% (1999)
14.7% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Colorado (2000)
The only before-and-after data available for Colorado is from the National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH). However, the NSDUH advises that data from 2002 and later is not comparable to prior years’ data due to methodological changes.[3]
Vermont (2004)
28.2% (2003)
22.4% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Montana (2004)
23.1% (2003)
19.6% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Rhode Island (2006)
25% (2005)
19.8% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
New Mexico (2007)
26.2% (2005)
17.4 % (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Michigan (2008)
18.0% (2007)
16.7% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
New Jersey (2010)
20.3% (2009)
13.6 % (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Arizona (2010)
23.7% (2009)
19.2% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Delaware (2011)
25.8% (2009)
18.2% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Connecticut (2012)
24.1% (2011)
14.7 % (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Massachusetts (2012)
27.9% (2011)
18.6% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
New Hampshire (2013)
28.4% (2011)
19.8 % (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Illinois (2013)
23.1% (2011)
17.3% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Maryland (2014)
19.8% (2013)
14.4% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Minnesota (2014)
16.6% (11th graders, 2013)
15.7% (11th graders, 2025)
decrease
Minnesota Student Survey
New York (2014)
22.1% (2011)
12.0% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS, excludes New York City
Louisiana (2016)
17.5% (2013)
18.0% (2021)
increase
The CDC’s YRBSS
Pennsylvania (2016)
18.2% (2015)
16.1 % (2023)
decrease (within confidence interval)
The CDC’s YRBSS
Ohio (2016)
20.7% (2013)
17.0% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Arkansas (2016)
17.8% (2015)
18.1% (2023)
increase
The CDC’s YRBSS
Florida (2016)
21.5% (2015)
17.2% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
North Dakota (2016)
15.2% (2015)
11.4% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
West Virginia (2017)
16.5% (2015)
18.5 % (2023)
increase
The CDC’s YRBSS
Oklahoma (2018)
15.9% (2017)
19.1% (2023)
increase
The CDC’s YRBSS
Missouri (2018)
19.9% (2017)
20.3% (2023)
increase
The CDC’s YRBSS
Utah (2018)
8.1% (2017)
4.2% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Virginia (2020)
17.3% (2019)
9.5% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
South Dakota (2020)
16.5% (2019)
10.4% (2023)
decrease
The CDC’s YRBSS
Mississippi (2022)
13.4% (2021)
14.0% (2023)
increase
The CDC’s YRBSS
Alabama (2021)
No “after” data available. The CDC YRBSS only has data for 2021.
Kentucky (2023)
No “after” data available, the law is too new.
Nebraska (2024)
No “after” data available, the law is too new.
Texas (2025)
No “after” data available, the expanded law is too new.
Georgia (2026)
No “after” data available, the expanded law is too new.
[1] Eight additional states have a law that acknowledges the medical benefits of lower THC cannabis. Only one of them has a workable system for in-state access —, Iowa. Also, hemp-derived preparations containing THC are now available in much of the nation due to the 2018 FARM Act.
[2] Anderson DM, Hansen B, Rees DI, Sabia JJ. “Association of Marijuana Laws With Teen Marijuana Use: New Estimates From the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys,” JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(9):879–881.
[3] Were one to compare the 1999 data to the most recent data despite this admonition, it would indicate a decrease among 12-17 year olds from 10.3 to 9.08%.