Opponents of marijuana legalization often argue that allowing adults to consume cannabis without punishment will cause more underage teens to use it—but that isn’t what is happening, according to the latest results of a new federal drug survey.
The 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), released on Monday, shows that 8.7 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 17 use marijuana within the past year.
That’s down from 14.2 percent in 2011, the year before the first U.S. states legalized recreational cannabis.
Although politicians and organizations that oppose ending marijuana prohibition have warned that the reform would lead to skyrocketing teen use, that hasn’t occurred.
In fact, teen marijuana use has declined—dropping considerably over the last several years even as use by adults has risen.
Via SAMHSA.
The new NSDUH report, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), shows that marijuana was the most commonly consumed illicit drug, with more than a fifth of population over the age of 12 (21.2 percent) having used it within the past year.
That amounts to 61.6 million cannabis consumers, according to the federal government report, representing an increase from 2021, when 19 percent reported
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