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Youth Marijuana Use Has Declined Since Canada Enacted Legalization, Federally Funded Study Shows

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8 months ago

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A federal study funded by Canada shows that youth marijuana use rates have dropped since the country legalized cannabis, countering concerns raised by prohibition.

Using data from Canada’s annual COMPASS Study, researchers from the University of Waterloo and Brock University compared trends in marijuana use among teenagers in 2017-2018 (pre-legalization) and 2021-2022 (post-legalization).

The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors Reports, found that 15 percent of students in the pre-legalization cohort reported past-month cannabis use, compared to 12.3 percent of the post-legalization cohort. Additionally, accounts of students who said they never used marijuana “increased” in this latter demographic.

In addition to examining rates of cannabis use, the researchers also sought to identify “risk factors” that may predict whether a student will use marijuana. And these factors changed between the two groups before and after legalization, which “suggests that prevention efforts need to be adjusted over time to target important risk factors associated with cannabis use.”

Specifically, it has to analyze Among more than 65,000 students across the two periods, although many risk factors were “common across the years,” “the relative ranking of risk factors changed significantly.”

“The main predictors of current (pre-legalization) cannabis use were time spent texting/messaging, daily breakfast consumption, and time spent doing housework, all of which also remained significant predictors in 2021-22,” the study authors said. “The main predictors of current (post-legalization) cannabis use were depression, a happy home life…and students’ perception that getting good grades was important.”

“Our results highlight an increase in reports of ever using cannabis and a slight decrease in current cannabis use in our sample,” the study says. “While this is in contrast to the evidence of higher levels of cannabis use among young people during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible to argue that the declines observed here (years after pandemic-related restrictions) may not be due to the pandemic itself, but likely due to regulations related to legalization and/or changes in social norms.”

“Given that cannabis use remains common among young people, there is a great need to identify the characteristics of young people who are at greatest risk for cannabis misuse and, at the same time, to develop and expand prevention and early intervention programs tailored to the needs of these high-risk youth. This study demonstrates that, over a short period of 4 years, the pre-cannabis legalization period, the pre-cannabis legalization period, the post-cannabis legalization era. the profile of risk factors has changed significantly, increasingly involving mental health conditions.

The COMPASS Study is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services.

German officials released the study after three months released a report on their country’s experience with national marijuana legalization.

That report found that opponents’ fears about youth use — as well as traffic safety and other concerns — are so far unfounded.

A separate recent study by German federal health officials also found this Marijuana use rates fell among young people after the country legalized adult use of cannabiscontradicting one of the most common prohibitionist arguments against reform.

In July, federal health data also indicated that marijuana use in the U.S. has increased in recent years. increase “driven by increases … among adults 26 and older.” For young Americans, rates of past-year use and cannabis use disorder, on the other hand, “remained stable among adolescents and young adults between 2021 and 2024.”

In the US, research suggests that youth marijuana use has declined in states that have legalized the drug for adults.

A report by the advocacy group Marihuana Policy Project (MPP), for example, found that Youth marijuana use has declined in 19 of the 21 states that legalized adult use—Adolescent cannabis use has dropped an average of 35 percent in the first states to legalize it.

The report cited data from a number of national and state youth surveys, including the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey, which is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The latest version of the MTF, released late last year, found that cannabis use among eighth, 10th and 12th graders is now on the rise. lower than before states began enacting laws to legalize adult use in 2012 Young people’s perception that cannabis is easy to obtain also declined significantly in 2024 despite an expanding market for adult use.

Another survey conducted last year by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also showed that a The proportion of high school students reporting marijuana use in the past month has decreased in the past decade, when dozens of states moved to legalize cannabis.

At the state level, MPP’s assessment looked at studies such as the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey released in April 2024.

That survey found a decline in lifetime and past 30-day marijuana use in recent years. They remained stable until 2023 with significant decreases. The results also indicated that the ease of access to cannabis among underage students has generally decreased since the state enacted adult legalization in 2012, contrary to fears repeatedly expressed by opponents of the policy change.

And in June of last year, the two-year Healthy Kids Colorado Survey found just that Statewide youth marijuana use rates fell slightly in 2023—Remains significantly lower than before the state became one of the first in the U.S. to legalize adult cannabis in 2012.

The findings follow other past surveys that have investigated the relationship between marijuana and jurisdictions that have legalized youth cannabis use.

For example, a Canadian government report recently found daily or near-daily usage rates among adults and youth. remained stable in the last six years after the country passed legalization.

Another US study found that a “Significant reduction” in youth marijuana use from 2011 to 2021.— a period when more than a dozen states legalized marijuana for adults — that determined lower rates of lifetime and past-month use among high school students nationwide.

Another federal report released last summer concluded Between 2022 and 2023, cannabis consumption among minors — defined as people between 12 and 20 years old — has fallen slightly..

Additionally, a research letter published in April 2024 by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said there is no evidence. States passing laws to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults has increased youth use. of cannabis

Another study published by JAMA earlier this month also found that neither legalization nor the opening of retail shops led to an increase in youth cannabis use.

In 2023, however, a US health official said that adolescent marijuana use has not increased “even as state legalization proliferates across the country.”

Another study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Rates of current and lifetime cannabis use among high school students they have continued to decline amid the legalization movement.

A separate NIDA-funded study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2022 also found that at the state level The legalization of cannabis was not accompanied by an increase in youth use. The study found: “Young people who spent their adolescence under legalization were no more or less likely to have used cannabis by age 15 than adolescents who spent little or no time under legalization.”

Another 2022 study by Michigan State University researchers, Published in the journal PLOS Onefound that “retail sales of cannabis may increase exposure to cannabis for older adults” in legal states, “but not for minors who cannot purchase cannabis products at a retail outlet.”

Although trends were observed adult use of marijuana and certain psychedelics reaching “historic highs.” in 2022, according to separate data for 2023.

Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

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Saxony-Anhalt state government backs hemp innovation center in Mücheln

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6 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the development of a hemp information and competence center in Müchelnen (Geiseltal). The joint project known as IKHE – “Information and Competence Center for Hemp with Experience Trails” – is being carried out by the city of Mücheln (Geiseltal), the University of Applied Sciences Merseburg and the German Hemp Academy (Deutsche Hanf-Akademie eV).

The project has been given approximately 3.8 million euros as part of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, fully financed by the European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF).

The funding announcement was presented in Mücheln (Geiseltal) on July 7, 2026 by Gert Zender, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt.

© New Bauhauslers

Hemp is a versatile plant and one of the oldest crops cultivated by humans. For centuries, it was used to produce textiles, paper, and building and construction materials, before being largely displaced by fossil-based raw materials. Today, the renewed use of hemp opens up new possibilities for the ecologically and economically efficient production of building materials and fiber products. Grown in rotation with other crops, hemp improves soil quality, requires no crop protection products and requires little water.

Hanffaser Geiseltal eG a hemp industry processing cooperative is already active in the region. While Hanffaser Geiseltal processes the raw material, the IKHE partners are working to establish the information and competence center as a center for knowledge transfer, education and testing. Together, these efforts are turning Mücheln (Geiseltal) into a location with experience covering the entire hemp value chain.

At the heart of IKHE is an experimental building workshop where new bio-based building materials made from hemp are developed, tested and demonstrated in experimental building projects. This is complemented by a self-help building workshop, where both professionals and the public can learn how to work with hemp-based building materials through combined theoretical and practical seminars, and receive hands-on guidance for their building projects. Experiential trails will also allow visitors to explore where and how hemp can be used, in a hands-on way, from construction and textiles to food and cosmetics.

© New Bauhauslers

A bottom-up participatory approach is central to the project. From the very beginning, local residents, associations, schools and regional initiatives have been actively involved in the development and implementation of the project through open workshops and practical activities. In this way, the project combines formal scientific and technical knowledge with the practical expertise of craftsmanship and regional traditions, reflecting the values ​​of the new European Bauhaus of being beautiful, sustainable and inclusive.

IKHE is an Applied NEB Project and will be in operation until 2028. It is supported by the NEB Network Office Saxony-Anhalt, acting on behalf of the State Chancellery and the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Culture.

Source: The new Bauhauslers

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Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Wraps Up, With DEA Judge Laying Out Next Steps

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6 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing The Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal concluded, and the agency judge overseeing the proceeding set a deadline for the parties involved to file post-hearing briefs before the next recommendation on reform.

The multi-day hearing, which began late last month, ended Wednesday after presentations from a handful of states opposing federal cannabis reform.

DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius issued an order Thursday, saying that because “no closing time was granted” during the court days, participants in the process will be able to file post-trial documents, which are due Aug. 17.

Those documents can be up to 50 pages long and can include “closing arguments and arguments on any other matter raised by the court at the hearing.”

“This is a non-mandatory submission, so a named party will not be penalized for failing to file a post-hearing brief, and the absence of a submission means that there was no submission,” Julius wrote.

His order also states that participants can submit corrections to the daily transcripts of the proceedings by August 17.

“The amendments submitted by the designated parties are only proposed amendments. This panel will also examine the transcript for possible errors and indicate where amendments are needed,” wrote the judge. “The list created by the court will be compared with the list submitted by the Named Parties to create a list of final corrections. Thereafter, this court will issue an order approving the list of final corrections and include those corrections in the official copy of the transcript.”

“A fully redacted copy of the transcript of these proceedings will be made publicly available on the Agency’s website,” Julius said.

The judge said in his closing statement at the end of Wednesday’s hearing that he will work on writing his recommendation after receiving the next briefs on whether the government should move forward with broad marijuana rescheduling, but stressed that the final decision would rest with the DEA administrator.

Julius did not specify an anticipated timeline for the administrator’s recommendation of action.

At the hearing, DEA officials were tasked with defending the proposed cannabis reorganization featured testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

Meanwhile, attorneys and witnesses for the parties opposing marijuana redistricting who attended the hearing focused on the alleged harms of cannabis use, as well as criticism of the recently approved changes. an analysis used to determine whether or not drugs have approved medical value.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling followers that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they are not “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

Participating opposition parties include Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, DUID Victim Voices, Kenneth Finn, Phillip A. Drum, and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska.

Before the hearing began last month, marijuana reform activists rallied They held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel of the process – that supporters of the reform were not invited to participate and that the proceedings were not broadcast live, despite the officials’ vow of “transparency”.

Marihuana Moments sent petitions to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius and DEA Administrator Cole asking for them reverse the decision to ban the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via live stream. A Congressmen and other journalists later joined that request.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

A separate order was signed by the acting attorney general hearing marijuana III.

Preliminary hearing process on the marijuana redistricting process initiated by the Biden administration It was halted last year amid allegations of improper communications and witness selection.

the current The marijuana redistricting process is being challenged in several ways which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those pieces of State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

Meanwhile, the reorganization of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having a major impact.

The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current rescheduling of cannabis Certified patients with medical marijuana from state licensed dispensaries are now eligible for Class III. “The order appears to allow end users to use marijuana medically without a CSA prescription,” he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a Draft update to a gun purchase form to recognize the legal status of medical marijuana in the reprogramming. The revised section of the question states that only the “recreational use or possession of marijuana” is federally prohibited, omitting the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis.

The US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issued new tax guidelines for the marijuana industry after reprogramming. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions that are currently prohibited under IRS Code Section III, known as Section 280E.

Even the DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and accused the Biden administration of stalling the initiative in the reorganization process, has done so. It launched a registration process for legal marijuana businesses in the state to take advantage of the federal benefits that come with the reform.

The Department of Transport, on the other hand, issued guidelines stating this use Legal medical cannabis in the state is still no excuse for truck drivers to test positive for drugspilots and other safety-sensitive personnel.

The The War Department released a memo making it clear that military service members were using marijuana and civilian employees of the department remain prohibited, even in the federal rescheduling of cannabis.

A congressional committee recently Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabishowever lawmakers from both parties told Marihuana Moment they don’t think that provision will be enacted become law

Read the DEA’s post-trial hearing the order below:

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Photo Report: Cultivate 2026

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1 day ago

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July 16, 2026

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New varieties, commercial trends, packaging solutions, greenhouse developments, microbiological products, crop protection – there was a lot to see, learn, do and discover at Cultivate 2026, and we’ll be sure to share it all with you in the coming days. But first, it’s picture time (and nap time).

See the supplier photo report Cultivate 2026 here.

Find photo coverage of gardening companies on our sister site FloralDaily.

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.com

Pipp / GGS, the Berger team, the VidaWool team and Beneficial Insectary Cultivate are all at 2026.










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