Regional Disparities in Youth Marijuana Use Before and After Recreational Marijuana Legalization: A Longitudinal Examination from 2010 to 2020

Abstract

Studies have argued that the recent recreational marijuana legalization should increase the accessibility and acceptability of marijuana for youth and elevate youth marijuana use. While many empirical studies have supported this argument and presented the increase in youth marijuana use after the legalization, there has been no study that examines regional disparities in the effect of legalization on youth marijuana use. The examination of regional disparities is required because the different sub-culture and attitudes across regions should generate differentiated situations for youth marijuana use. The current study analyzes eleven-year datasets, “Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth - 12th-Grade Survey ” from 2010 to 2020, and investigates the distinctive temporal changes in youth marijuana use across regions before and after marijuana legalization. The results show that the legalization effect is critical in some regions without pre-existing availability of marijuana but not in the other regions with pre-existing availability. This study concludes that policymakers should consider local situations to deter youth marijuana use more effectively.