Teenagers used less pot when pandemic hit, study finds

Jan. 31, 2023 — Teens used less marijuana in first year of pandemic, new study finds, while cannabis, illegal drug and alcohol use among adults stayed the same or fell increases.

“Substance use decreased between 2019 and 2020 among 13- to 20-year-olds; consistent declines were not seen in older adults other than reductions in tobacco use, and cannabis use increased in adults 25 years and older,” the study published in the journal reads. Open JAMA Network to Tuesday.

Among young people aged 13 to 15, cannabis use decreased by 3.4% in 2020 compared to 2018 and 2019; tobacco consumption fell by 4%; and the use of other illegal or misused prescription drugs decreased by 2.5%.

Among 16- and 17-year-olds, marijuana use dropped 7.3%; tobacco consumption by more than 10% and misuse by almost 3 points.

“I think availability plays a big role,” said Joseph Palamar, associate professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, on CNN.com. “If high school students are separated from their friends for a long time and stuck indoors, they will likely have reduced access to drugs.

“Even if a teenager manages to get weed, it doesn’t mean they had a place away from their parents to smoke it if the whole family was in lockdown.”

Among adults aged 21 to 24, alcohol consumption increased from 60.2% to 65.2%. Tobacco consumption fell by 8%. According to the study, the rates of cannabis, illegal or misused prescription drugs did not change significantly.

The report used data from the Population Assessment and Tobacco Health (PATH) study. It tracks the usage of almost 50,000 people, including adults and young people.