Do more cannabis stores near schools mean more teens use cannabis? Our research suggests the answer is complicated
When Canada legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018, one concern was that more legal stores would make cannabis easier for young people to access and encourage adolescent use. But does having more cannabis retailers near high schools actually mean more students use cannabis?
When Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, concerns arose that more stores would make the drug easier for teens to access, potentially encouraging use. However, a new study suggests the relationship between cannabis retail availability near schools and adolescent use is more complex than previously thought. Researchers analyzed over 419,000 survey responses from students in four Canadian provinces, finding little evidence that greater proximity to stores led to higher overall cannabis use.
While students who had already used cannabis in 2018 saw a slight increase in frequency of use initially after legalization, this association weakened over time and was no longer significant. The study indicates that proximity to stores may not accurately reflect how easily teens obtain cannabis, which often comes from friends or family.
Other factors, such as peer influences and perceptions of risk, may play a more significant role in adolescent cannabis use. Despite these findings, the research does not suggest that adolescent cannabis use is harmless or that safeguards against retail locations near schools should be abandoned.
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