Pot Legalization: When Data Conflicts Who Do You Believe?

Colorado was among the first states to give the thumbs-up to recreational cannabis consumption. Along with Oregon and California, Colorado tends to be a national fishbowl for understanding what happens when state governments pass more permissive drug laws. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a good handle on cannabis and its effect on society because of study data conflicts.

Here is the problem: when faced with conflicting data, who does one believe? You cannot have two data sets reaching opposite conclusions and accept that both are correct. They can’t be. Equally problematic is the reality that science isn’t truly unbiased. With a topic as controversial as legal cannabis, conflicts of interest abound. So how do we know that any of the study data is actually objective and truthful?

Teens and Cannabis Use

A good case illustrating conflicting data is found in measuring teen cannabis use. In early 2022, a study out of Michigan State University presented data suggesting that teen consumption in Colorado did not increase as a result of recreational legalization.

Reading the study’s details reveals that researchers focused on incidence of use rather than prevalence of use. They define incidence of use as initial cannabis consumption following legalization. A prevalence of use study would look at overall consumption rates regardless of when individual consumption actually began.

Prevalence of use is the basis of data cited by a Colorado Springs Gazette editorial board piece discussing, among other things, the fact that Colorado ranks first in the nation for cannabis consumption among 12- to 17-year-olds. According to the Gazette, Colorado’s rate of youth cannabis consumption is 55% higher than the national average. It is more than twice the rate of its neighbor, Utah.

Two Different Conclusions

Two separate data sets offer two distinct conclusions on youth cannabis consumption in Colorado. Which conclusion is correct? If the Michigan State University study is accurate, then legalizing recreational cannabis doesn’t encourage minors to use the drug. That may be good, but it only goes so far. A high prevalence would simply dictate that kids will use recreational marijuana whether it is legal or not. That is the bigger issue.

On the other hand, if the prevalence study is correct, there is a direct correlation between recreational legalization and teen consumption. That correlation can be explained by any number of things, not the least of which is the possibility that adults are giving kids weed the same way they often do with alcohol.

Stricter Rules in Utah

Seeing as how the Colorado Springs Gazette compared Colorado with Utah, let us take a closer look at the Beehive State. There, only medical cannabis is legally allowed. Furthermore, all cannabis consumed in the state must be purchased at a licensed pharmacy, like Provo’s Deseret Wellness. Finally, all cannabis consumed in the state must be produced in the state.

The strict nature of Utah’s program makes it much harder for people to consume cannabis recreationally without assuming a substantial risk. There are undoubtedly still state residents who choose to do so. But the strict rules also inhibit people who do not want to take their chances.

In neighboring Colorado, lawmakers have adopted what is the equivalent of a hands-off approach. While it’s true that minors cannot legally purchase cannabis in the state, there are so many ways to get around that rule. As for enforcement, it is fairly nonexistent.

Prevalence data seems to support the idea that cannabis legalization does encourage teen consumption. But incidence data says otherwise. So which data do you believe? If you are like most of us, you believe the data that supports your viewpoint.