A new Canadian study funded by the federal government suggests that cannabis use among young people has dropped since the country legalized marijuana, challenging long-standing fears that legalization would lead to higher rates of youth consumption.
The research, published in Addictive Behaviors Reports, analyzed data from the COMPASS Study, an ongoing national survey that tracks health-related behaviors in Canadian youth. Conducted by researchers from Brock University and the University of Waterloo, the study compared cannabis use rates among youths before legalization (2017 and 2018) and after legalization (2021 and 2022).
Results showed that 15% of adolescents reported using cannabis in the month prior to legalization. That figure dropped to 12.3% after legalization. The proportion of students who said they had never used cannabis also grew during the post-legalization period.
The researchers also examined which factors were most likely to predict whether a student might use cannabis, noting that these predictors shifted in meaningful ways between the two time periods.
According to the report, while certain influences—like time spent texting, eating breakfast daily, and completing homework—remained relevant, the relative importance of these risk factors changed. In post-legalization use, feelings of depression, satisfaction with home life, and attitudes about school performance emerged as stronger predictors of use.
The study covered over 65,000 students across both time frames. The authors suggested periodically updating prevention strategies to align with current youth realities, given the evolving nature of these risk factors.
Overall, the researchers noted a modest decline in reported cannabis use and a rise in the number of students who said they never consume it. They suggested this trend may not be tied to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but instead could reflect shifts in regulation, social norms, or perceptions of risk following legalization.
Canada’s results mirror similar findings in Europe and the United States. In Germany, federal health officials recently reported that youth cannabis use has also decreased following national legalization. German authorities said other common concerns, including road safety and increased youth access, have not materialized.
In the United States, federal surveys indicate that cannabis use among adolescents has stayed steady or declined even as more states have adopted adult-use legalization. A report by the Marijuana Policy Project found that adolescent marijuana use dropped in 19 of the 21 states that legalized recreational cannabis, with an average decrease of 35% in the earliest adopting states.
This goes to show that legalization and licensing companies like Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) could help in curbing access to marijuana products by the underage as measures like age verification prior to product purchase are enforced.
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