Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in Montana

Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012. Commercial sale of marijuana to the general public began on January 1st, 2014.

California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016. Commercial operations opened in 2018.

Montana has voted to legalize recreational marijuana on November 3rd, 2020.

When recreational marijuana was legalized across the country in states like Colorado, California, Washington, and Oregon, school officials expressed concern about the potential for increased marijuana use among youth. While there are pockets of data that show concerning trends (Washington state being a primary example), increased usage among youth does not appear to be as clear of a trend as originally thought (see chart below).

The steady rates of reported marijuana use among school-aged youth contrasts with the trend among adults that shows consistently increasing rates of usage since recreational legalization.

While there are likely many reasons that youth marijuana use is not rising as drastically as many expected, the primary explanations provided by officials include 1) robust and well-funded community health campaigns, 2) funding for school prevention initiatives, and 3) effective oversight of retail sales.

If Montana wants to avoid increases in marijuana use among youth, we should learn from the experiences of these other states and advocate for strong community health and prevention measures.

Some of the primary concerns that school officials across the country have raised in response to recreational marijuana use include the following:

Normalization

One trend that has shown up across states since the legalization of recreational marijuana is that youth perceive marijuana as being less dangerous.

Overdose

Highly concentrated edible marijuana products can lead to overdoses of THC, especially when accidentally consumed by young children. Candy, baked goods, gummies, sodas, and other products appeal to children and often cover the flavor of marijuana.

Detection

Edible marijuana products also present a challenge for parents and school staff hoping to keep drugs off of campus and out of the home. Because they are easier to disguise, it may be harder to detect when someone is a marijuana user.

Prenatal Exposure

Since recreational legalization there appears to be a trend toward increasing rates of in utero exposure to THC, which can have significant consequences for a child's developing brain. See BPU page on Risks.

Parent Use

Reported rates of adult usage have demonstrated increasing trends since recreational legalization. School officials report that more students report living in households where their parent(s)/guardian(s) use marijuana. This makes it harder for students to understand the dangers of underage use.

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