As Weed Gets Stronger, More Black Teens Are Using It

By Jennifer Porter Gore | Word In Black Overview: Decriminalization has led to cannabis that’s several times more powerful than it was decades ago — and researchers are worried. (WIB) – Sweeping changes in laws decriminalizing marijuana possession or use have made the drug easier than ever to obtain. With 24 states legalizing weed for recreational use in the last decade, nearly three-quarters of the U.S. population live in a state where consuming weed is legal. But although only consumers 21 or older are allowed to legally buy it over the counter, the increasing legalization of recreational weed, experts say, has helped make highly potent forms of it more widely available. and that underage users are getting their hands on it.& & Learn More:& Decriminalizing Cannabis: The Fight to End Stigma In New York, for example, both teachers and students say they’re seeing& more and younger students& coming to school high from marijuana, and that they’re smoking or vaping it throughout the school day. And a Columbia University study found that teens who use cannabis are up to four times as likely to develop depression, suicidality and other psychiatric disorders, than teens who abstain. Ty S. Schepis, a researcher and...