27 Sep Teen Marijuana Use Hits a Record Low as Cannabis Legalization Expands
For years, cannabis legalization opponents have repeated the same warning: If marijuana becomes legal for adults, more teenagers will use it.
There is just one problem with that argument—the numbers keep moving in the opposite direction.
According to the federal government’s 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 8.7% of Americans ages 12 to 17 reported using marijuana during the previous year. That is down from 14.2% in 2011, the year before Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize cannabis for adult use.
As more states legalized and regulated cannabis for adults, national teen marijuana use did not skyrocket. It fell to a record low.
What the Federal Cannabis Data Actually Show
The latest findings do not prove that legalization alone caused youth cannabis use to decline. Teen behavior is influenced by education, parents, changing social habits and many other factors.
But the data do challenge the claim that adult-use legalization inevitably causes more teenagers to consume cannabis. After more than a decade of state legalization, the predicted national surge in youth use has not happened.
That matters because good cannabis policy should be built around measurable results—not recycled fears.
Could Regulation Protect Teenagers Better Than Prohibition?
Cannabis already exists in every state, whether lawmakers regulate it or not. The real policy question is who controls the market.
An illegal seller does not have to check identification, follow packaging requirements or comply with restrictions on advertising to minors. A licensed cannabis business can face serious penalties or lose its license for selling to someone underage.
A properly regulated adult-use market can include:
- Strict age verification
- Child-resistant packaging
- Product testing and accurate labeling
- Restrictions on youth-focused advertising
- Funding for education and prevention
- Penalties for businesses that sell to minors
Legalization should never mean encouraging teenage cannabis use. It means replacing an uncontrolled underground market with rules designed to protect adults and young people alike.
What This Means for Florida
Florida’s cannabis debate is still filled with warnings about what legalization might do. Meanwhile, we now have years of real-world evidence from states that have already made the change.
The latest federal findings deserve a serious place in that conversation. Adult legalization has expanded across the country while reported teen marijuana use has declined—not increased.
Suncoast NORML took a deeper look at the federal statistics, the limitations of the data and what these findings could mean for cannabis reform in Florida.
Read the complete Suncoast NORML analysis: Teen Marijuana Use Hits Record Low as More States Legalize Cannabis for Adults
The debate over cannabis legalization should not be driven by predictions that failed to come true. It should be driven by facts—and these facts deserve attention.
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