Voters in four states will weigh in Tuesday on ballot initiatives that would legalize the recreational or medical use of marijuana. Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Florida could join over two dozen other states to have legalized the drug in some way, becoming part of a shifting landscape of cannabis use Researchers say that the picture of who uses the drug — and how — is evolving, and point to a few key trends, reports the New York Times. When states first legalized recreational cannabis, starting with Colorado and Washington in 2012, the ‘sky’s going to fall’ scenario was that all of the kids were just going to have access to all of the cannabis and it was going to be a terrible, terrible thing,” said Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The largest jumps in use, though, appear to be among adults. About 42 percent of adults ages 19 to 30 and 29 percent of those ages 35 to 50 have used cannabis in the past year — a historically high level of use, according to a nationwide survey. That shift may be in part because of changing public perceptions about the drug and whether it’s very harmful, Dr. Vandrey said. This is despite evidence that many cannabis products are stronger than they used to be; doctors have also raised concerns that some users can become dependent on the drug. Seniors are increasingly using cannabis. In 2007, under 1 percent of adults 65 and older had used the drug in the past year. By 2022, that number grew to more than 8 percent. Some cannabis brands have ramped up marketing to older adults. The percentage of adolescents who use marijuana dropped from 23 percent in 2011 to just under 16 percent in 2021. Part of why teens have not reported higher rates of marijuana use may be because of stringent age restrictions at dispensaries in states early to legalize cannabis, said Traci Toomey of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Cannabis Research Center. “With the legalization, with those controls in place, there wasn’t necessarily easier access for young people,” she said, adding that without such strict policies, teen use might rise. More Americans are now using marijuana every day than are drinking alcohol, a study published in May found.
Comments