Cannabis Use in Adolescents

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Abstract
As cannabis legalization expands across the United States, its use among adolescents remains a pressing public health concern. This analytic essay analyzes the current prevalence, patterns, and consequences of cannabis use in adolescents. While legalization has not substantially increased adolescent use, it has contributed to normalization and greater access, ultimately lowering perceived risk and complicating prevention efforts. Increasing product potency and diversified consumption methods (e.g., vaping, dabbing, edibles) add to these challenges. Adolescent cannabis use is associated with adverse outcomes in brain development, mental health, and physical health including its effects on the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine systems of body. Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) is underdiagnosed and undertreated in youth, with no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments. Psychosocial interventions such as contingency management and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) show modest efficacy, particularly when involving families. This paper highlights the urgent need for targeted education, policy measures, and accessible evidence-based interventions specifically tailored to adolescent populations to address the evolving challenges of cannabis use and its long-term consequences.

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