Co-use of alcohol and marijuana and beliefs among teens
New Research in impact of cannabis legalization on teen consumption is predictably concerning. One of the single greatest drug-use promoting mechanisms is permission. Parents ‘join in’ the permission paradigm, simply by following the unchallenged notion that… “if the government made it legal, it can’t be all bad – right?”
Findings include:
- A significant post-legalization increase in past-30-day co-use in 2016 in counties with the highest retail outlet density.
- Significant post-legalization increases in perceived risk and parent approval of alcohol and marijuana use.
- Legalization and greater retail availability of both marijuana and alcohol were positively associated with co-use among teens, and beliefs favorable to alcohol and marijuana use.
Says lead author, Dr. Grisel García-Ramírez: “Our results suggest that adolescents living in communities with greater retail availability of recreational marijuana and alcohol may have greater indirect access to these substances through diversion, as it is illegal for them to purchase and use them. So, their primary sources are likely to be social rather than commercial.”
For complete article https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-co-use-alcohol-marijuana-beliefs-teens.html