Identifying Youth Perceptions of Cannabis
Highlights
To explore how legalization of cannabis is influencing youth use and perceptions of its harms, PHI programs Getting it Right from the Start and FACES for the Future collaborated to conduct focus groups and surveys with high school students in California and across the country.
338 high school students interviewed or the project
50% of all students interviewed reported having ever used marijuana
~25% of all students interviewed reported using marijuana within the last month.
The legalization of cannabis is quickly unfolding in many states—but how does this influence youth use and perceptions of its harms?
To explore this critical question, PHI’s Getting it Right from the Start and FACES for the Future collaborated to conduct focus groups and surveys with 338 high school students in California and other states across the country.
Almost half of the students reported having ever used marijuana, and about a quarter of them reported using it within the last month. A third of the students revealed that they have attended school while being under the influence of cannabis. And many high school students shared that they perceive cannabis as a health and wellness product that could be used to alleviate mental health conditions and other ailments, or as a preferred alternative to opioids.
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