The first study to explore the relationship between cannabis legalisation and youth use found that marijuana use increased significantly in the countries with more liberal laws. Several countries, including the UK, Ireland, and Hungary, sell have decriminalised the use of cannabis, which reduces the likelihood of teenage use of the drug. The revision of this study found that marijuana legalisation in the EU countries led to a reduction in youth use of cannabis.
Currently, 20 million adults in Europe have used cannabis at some point in their lives. Of these, three million have used it daily. Further, it is estimated that one in six 15-64 year-olds have tried it. These statistics highlight the damaging public health impact of cannabis. Furthermore, cannabis is the second most frequently reported illicit drug in specialised treatment in Europe, after heroin. This information provides crucial information for designing interventions aimed at high-risk groups of cannabis users.
One of the main questions asked in this study concerned the relationship between cannabis use and cognitive decline in teens. Cannabis users were more likely to suffer cognitive impairments than non-users. For example, they were less likely to complete big bud auto strain high school than non-users. And the cognitive decline was also greater in adolescents who began their use of cannabis during adolescence. And these findings were particularly concerning for those who had already begun cannabis use at an early age.
Another important question to ask is whether cannabis legalization affects youth cannabis use. The study’s findings are mixed, but suggest that legalising cannabis for recreational purposes may reduce overall adolescent use of the drug. While it is possible to say that legalization of cannabis does not decrease the likelihood of youth use, it does increase the likelihood of marijuana use in adolescence.
While changes in cannabis control policies have increased cannabis availability and decreased adolescent use in the EU, the effect on teens is not clear. This is partly because the data collected is scarce and there are no conclusive results. The study also shows that cannabis policy reforms had different effects on different types of consumers. In addition, marijuana policies that increase the punishment for non-prison offenses and end criminal prosecution for minor cannabis use have an effect on overall cannabis use.
Another study examined cannabis policy and the relationship between marijuana legalisation and youth use in Europe. It shows that cannabis decriminalisation has no effect on adolescent use of the drug, but legalisation of cannabis for recreational use does. It should be noted that the evidence in support of this claim comes from the USA, where prevalence rates are high and laws liberalising cannabis use tend to be market-driven. Additional data from other settings may also help to clarify the relationship between legalisation and youth use.
In addition, this study found a relationship between lifetime cannabis use and cortical thickness at 5 years. The relationship between lifetime cannabis use and cortical thickness was significant but was not significantly related to baseline thickness. The study also showed that cannabis use was associated with lower cortical thickness at the end of the study period. This may explain the higher level of cognitive vulnerability in adolescents who smoke marijuana. There are more studies that are needed to examine the effects of marijuana on adolescent brain development.
Future research is needed to determine whether cannabis use has lasting effects in adolescents. It is important to identify whether or not genetic predisposition is associated with cannabis use. There are numerous animal studies that report on the long-term impacts of marijuana use during adolescence. Marijuana use is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, which may persist into adulthood. Thus, future research should focus on whether cannabis is helpful in treating mental health conditions in adolescents.