Yo, check it. The number of legal cannabis shops has been blowin’ up in North America over the past decade, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier for kids to cop weed, ya feel me?
A fresh survey just dropped, fam, showin’ that youth in Canada ain’t findin’ it any easier to get their hands on the sticky icky even with all these new shops poppin’ up.
The study, published in Archives of Public Health, took a look at how the perception of cannabis access has changed among underage peeps in Canada since legalization and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They surveyed a large group of Canadian youth at different time points to see how things have evolved.
According to the researchers, there’s been a decline in students sayin’ it’s easy to access that good-good from T1 (51.0%) to T3 (37.4%) in the cross-sectional sample. But here’s the twist: those who have actually used cannabis were more likely to say it was easy to get their hands on.
In the longitudinal sample, perceptions of easy access actually increased over time, especially among those who use cannabis. It seems like the initial pandemic hit might’ve caused a slight dip in accessibility, but it bounced back during the ongoing pandemic period.
The researchers concluded that even though there’s been a decline overall in youth sayin’ they can easily access cannabis since legalization, there’s still a decent chunk of underage peeps who report it’s easy to get. They’re sayin’ it’s important to keep up efforts to control the availability of cannabis to youngins.
Now, this ain’t the first study to tackle this topic. In fact, a similar trend has been noted in states where recreational cannabis is legal in the US.
Last year, a study published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research found that there wasn’t a change in perception among youth when it came to marijuana in states where it’s been legalized for adult use. They were tryna see if kids in these states had a decreased perception of risk compared to those in states where cannabis is still illegal.
The researchers analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study across multiple sites and states. They checked how the perception of harm from cannabis changed over time in states with and without recreational cannabis laws.
Guess what? They found no significant difference in the perception of risk between kids in states with recreational cannabis laws and those in states where it’s still illegal. This held true even after takin’ into account factors like demographics, impulsivity, and religiosity.
Basically, they’re sayin’ that legalizin’ recreational cannabis doesn’t seem to affect how kids view the risks of usin’ the herb. But they’re also pointin’ out that more research is needed to see how this perception might change as kids grow up in states with different cannabis laws.
So there you have it, fam. Despite all the legal weed shops and laws passin’, it ain’t gettin’ any easier for youngins to cop that green. We gotta keep workin’ on keepin’ it outta their hands while still enjoyin’ our own stash, ya dig?
Stay safe and stay blazed, peeps!
