A new report from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C., challenges the key assumption underlying present US cannabis laws: that marijuana must be prohibited for adults in order to deter teens from using it.

The report, at mpp.org/teenuse, comes as the federal government prepares to release its annual “Monitoring the Future” survey of teenage drug use, which is traditionally released in mid-December.

When reformers propose regulating cannabis for adults in a manner similar to alcohol or tobacco, government officials typically argue that such a policy would encourage use by children, and such assertions are widely accepted by the press and the public. MPP undertook a thorough review of government data from the US and around the world, as well as studies by think tanks and academic researchers. Key findings include:

• Marijuana prohibition has not prevented a dramatic increase in cannabis use by teenagers. In fact, the overall rate of cannabis use in the US has risen by roughly 4,000 percent since marijuana was first outlawed.

• Independent studies by RAND Europe and the US National Research Council have reported that marijuana prohibition appears to have little or no impact on rates of use. 

---

Not only do decrim laws not increase cannabis use among teens, in states where medical use is legal, teen use has declined 

---

• Since Britain ended most cannabis possession arrests in 2004, the rate of cannabis use by 16- to 19-year-olds has dropped.

• In the US, rates of teen cannabis use in states that have decriminalized adult cannabis possession are statistically equal to the rates in states that have retained criminal penalties.

• Not only do decrim laws not increase cannabis use among teens, in states where medical use is legal, teen use has declined.

• In the Netherlands, where adults have been allowed to possess and purchase small amounts of cannabis since 1976, the rate of cannabis use by adults and teens is lower than in the US, and teen use of cocaine and amphetamines is far lower than in the US. Indeed, some researchers believe it is the prohibition of cannabis that causes progression to hard drug use, sometimes called the “gateway effect.”

“The idea that prohibiting adults from using marijuana will keep it away from kids is a myth that isn’t backed up by the data,” said MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia. “We need laws that are based on facts and science, not faith-based myths.”With more than 21,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest cannabis policy reform organization in the US. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with cannabis is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, visit MarijuanaPolicy.org.