Medical Marijuana Does Not Increase Teenage Usage in Rhode Island

There are a number of Americans who are and have been skeptical about medical marijuana programs; many people believe that medical marijuana would lead to more young people using the drug. This, in some cases may be true; however, a new study conducted in Rhode Island has shown otherwise. Teenagers in Rhode Island did not use more marijuana after the state started its medical marijuana program in 2006, according to the study.

About 33,000 students took part in the study, where trends were compared in teenage marijuana use in Rhode Island and Massachusetts from 1997 to 2009, HealthDay reports. The researchers found:

• between 26 and 34 percent of teenagers in both states used marijuana during that period

However, there was no significant difference in marijuana use between the states in any year. The Rhode Island medical marijuana law did not lead to increased marijuana use.

In a news release, lead author Esther Choo, MD, MPH, noted that “state-level legalization of medical marijuana has raised concerns about increased accessibility and appeal of the drug to youth, who are most vulnerable to public messages about drug use and to the adverse consequences of marijuana.”

She presented her findings at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association.