States that legalize recreational marijuana use may be sending a message to teens that pot is harmless, a new study suggests. Fewer teenagers in Washington and Colorado saw marijuana as risky to their health following approval of recreational use by voters in those states, researchers report. Washington also saw an increase in recreational pot use among 8th and 10th graders following legalization there. The risk of recreational use in children belies the empirically supported message that recreational cannabis use early in life is bad for brain development, just like binge drinking, restrictive dieting and head injury.
Does Legalizing Pot Spur Kids to Try It?
