Youthful Consumption of Marijuana Down for 2016, Says Federal Government

The 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates marijuana use among some of America’s youngest consumers has declined to its lowest rate in nearly 15 years.

On Thursday, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published their annual report indicating youthful marijuana consumption trended downward nationally in 2016 – at least for those between the ages of 12 and 17.

Despite legalization, consumption drops for some and holds steady for others

Marijuana use among 12 to 17-year-olds dropped to 6.5 percent during 2016, representing a 0.5 percent decline from the previous year and a 1.7 percent decrease in marijuana use since 2002. Great news for advocates of legalization – it represents a slight problem for the prohibitionist’s dogma. Rather than increasing teenage use, the survey indicates a noteworthy decline in youthful consumption since 2014.

A historic year for Marijuana reform, 2014 was the year Washington State and Colorado became the first states to roll out their regulated retail sales of recreational marijuana.

Marijuana use by age group

It would seem the perils of marijuana legalization and…