As anti-marijuana legalization zealots continue to smear cannabis with the “Gateway” label, a comprehensive survey of more than 210,000 students indicates that as more states reform their marijuana laws, fewer kids are experiencing issues with weed.

Declining by 24% between 2002 and 2013, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis examined data on drug use collected from kids ranging from 12 to 17, over a 12 year period. Appalling few and pleasing many, the scientists discovered a noteworthy decline in the number of teenagers with marijuana-related issues; enjoying a drop in disciplinary issues with both parents and schools, and a seemingly diminished interest in getting high.

According to the recent study published in the Journal American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “A decline in the past-year prevalence of marijuana use disorders was observed (odds ratio = 0.976 per year; 95% CI = 0.968, 0.984; p < .001). This was due to both a net decline in past-year prevalence of use and a decline in the conditional prevalence of marijuana use disorders. The trend in marijuana use disorders was accounted for by a decrease in the rate of conduct problems among adolescents (e.g., fighting, stealing).”

With statistics collected as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, researchers polled young people from different ethnic backgrounds and diverse cultural and income groups – surveying kids from coast-to-coast about their past and present drug use – as well as any dependency issues.

Establishing their baseline in 2002, researchers discovered approximately 16 percent of adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 reported using less marijuana over the previous 12 months; declining by 2 to 3 percentage points by 2013. At the same time, the percentage of teenagers with “marijuana-use disorders” dropped approximately 1%.

The study’s conclusion: “Past-year prevalence of marijuana use disorders among US adolescents declined by an estimated 24% over the 2002 to 2013 period.”

Knowledge Is Power.