The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is acknowledging that, even as more states have legalized marijuana, youth cannabis use has “declined” over the past several decades.
As part of an online quiz on DEA’s “Just Think Twice” platform, the agency asked about a variety of drug trends, including questions about substance use disorder, drug overdose deaths, signs of a heroin overdose and cannabis use among youth.
Notably, the answer to one question about past-year marijuana use by adolescents and teens directly contradicts a frequently debunked prohibitionist narrative about the risks of state-level legalization, with anti-cannabis organizations claiming the reform would drive more teens to use marijuana.
That’s not the case, DEA said.
“From 1995 to 2025, past-year cannabis use decreased among 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students,” reads one of the items, with respondents asked to decide whether the statement is “Fact” or “Fiction.”
It turns out, contrary to prohibitionist fears, it’s a fact that teen marijuana use has declined since states began enacting laws to allow medical or recreational use.
“Use of cannabis within the past year declined from 15.8 percent to 7.6 percent for 8th grade students, 28.7 percent to 15.6 percent for 10th grade students, and 34.7 percent
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