As Marijuana Use Among Teenagers Rises, so Does the Risk of Mental Illness and Psychosis

The notion that marijuana use is benign concerns some experts who see a ’slower acting' problem.

Customers shop for marijuana products at a cannabis dispensary in Santa Ana, Calif., on Feb. 18, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize nonmedical marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Since then, 22 states have followed suit.

In November, the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published a study that found the legalization of cannabis had “shifted societal beliefs throughout the United States,” resulting in a 13 percent increase in past-month marijuana use for youth aged 12 to 17.