Public perceptions of both medical and recreational cannabis have changed significantly over the last two decades. So much so that more than three-dozen states have decriminalized medical cannabis. Nearly two dozen have given the green light to recreational consumption. And still, we are cognizant of the need to keep kids away from the drug.
There have long been suspicions within the medical community that cannabis consumption harms the still-developing brains of preteens and teenagers. There have been questions about whether cannabis impedes cognition in young people. Now we have a study that provides further evidence in support of keeping kids away from cannabis.
The study clearly demonstrates that people who use cannabis in their youth are less likely to obtain college and graduate degrees. Does that mean cannabis users are less intelligent or learning impaired? Not at all. The study simply draws a link between youth cannabis consumption and a decreased likelihood of getting a college education.
Decades of Research Data
Researchers from the University of Toledo analyzed data from approximately 90,000 respondents who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The study followed participants for decades – from the mid-90s through 2018. During the final year of the study, the age of the participants ranged from 33 to 43.
Among other things, participants were surveyed about their cannabis consumption while in school. They were also asked about college and postsecondary education. Using a variety of variables to narrow down the pool to only those participants likely to provide accurate data, researchers were left with just under 9,000 whose data they thought relevant.
Here is what they discovered:
- Teenagers regularly using cannabis were more likely to continue doing so as adults.
- These teenagers were 10% less likely to earn a college degree.
- They were also 3% less likely to earn a graduate degree.
In terms of the likelihood of earning a degree, the cannabis using teenagers were compared to peers who did not use cannabis in their youth. Despite the fact that the study draws no correlation between youth cannabis consumption and cognitive decline, it does offer yet another reason to keep kids away from cannabis.
State Laws Preventing Youth Access
For their part, state lawmakers are making an effort to enact laws to prevent youth access. Take Utah, for example. It only allows medical cannabis; recreational consumption is prohibited. But even in a medical setting, minors are not allowed to use cannabis without a special exemption granted by the state’s Compassionate Use Board.
The operators of the Utah Marijuana website explain that parents or legal guardians must file an application with the Board if they want to provide medical cannabis to minors. The Board reviews each application on its own merits. If they determine that medical cannabis consumption is in the best interests of a particular child, approval is given. Otherwise, it is denied.
In recreational use states, those under the age of twenty-one are prohibited from purchasing and possessing. That is partially why so many of the states refer to their recreational programs as ‘adult-use’ programs. They want to make it clear that they are not encouraging cannabis consumption among minors.
A Lot Like Alcohol
Unfortunately, cannabis is a lot like alcohol in the mind of a teenager. Being told that it is off limits serves only to motivate teenagers to find a way to get and use it. Equally unfortunate is that the decision to do so can have long term negative ramifications. Those ramifications could include not going on to get a college or graduate degree.