A troubling new study shows that legalizing marijuana is linked with an increase in problematic pot use among teens

https://news.yahoo.com/troubling-study-shows-legalizing-marijuana-160000871.html

Jeremy Berke
,Business Insider•November 13, 2019

A new study found that problematic marijuana use increased by 25% among teens in states with legal pot shops.

Adults over the age of 26 also reported increased marijuana use. The study looked at survey data for about 500,000 people.

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The study shows that among teens aged 12 to 17, problematic marijuana use was 25% higher when states legalized marijuana. The researchers note that the increase was small, from 2.18% to 2.72%. Among adults 26 and older, cannabis use disorder increased from 0.9% to 1.23%.

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Problematic cannabis use is associated with negative health effects, including increased anxiety, lower educational attainment, unemployment, cognitive decline, and potentially a decline in socio-economic class, according to the study's authors.

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tags: drug use, drug abuse