Teenage marijuana consumption in Colorado significantly dropped after the legalization of pot. Contrary to previous claims that the legalization can lead to teenage marijuana consumption, having marijuana legalized actually decreased the number of teenage marijuana consumption.
According to Scientific Americans, teenage marijuana consumption in Colorado took a huge deep after the government agreed to have pot legalized. In a biannual poll acquired by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, it was revealed that there's a significant change in the numbers of marijuana consumption among teenagers in Colorado.
The survey revealed that the number went down in 2015 compared to 2011, wherein it took a dip from 22 percent to 21.1 percent for the teenage marijuana consumption for Colorado high school students. Around 17,000 students participated in the poll that the department conducts every two years.
"These statistics clearly debunk the theory that making marijuana legal for adults will result in more teen use," Mason Tvert, said. "Levels of teen use in Colorado have not increased since it ended marijuana prohibition, and they are lower than the national average. Elected officials and voters in states that are considering similar proposals should be wary of claims that it will hurt teens."
Washington Post then explained that the legalization did little significance in terms of increasing teenage marijuana consumption as it was already made available before the government decided to have it legalized. It was then mentioned that children who would want to smoke weed have been doing so, even before marijuana legalization was approved.
Though the numbers took a dip, an anti-legalization group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana stated that teen marijuana consumption in Colorado is the highest all throughout the United States. Marijuana legalization in Colorado has it pros and cons, but when it comes to teenage marijuana consumption, parents should be the ones to raise their children in a way that they would not do so behind their parents' backs.
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