Legalizing pot doesn't up youth usage

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A local physician and researcher is set to release her findings on whether legalizing medical marijuana in Rhode Island would increase pot usage among youths in the state.

Rhode Island Hospital Lead Author Esther Choo, MD., M.P.H. is scheduled to release those findings on Wednesday, November 2nd, at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Choo and her coauthors on the study analyzed 32,570 students and completed surveys with their findings between the years of 1997 and 2009.

Within their research, a self-report called the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System was put into use, which helped compare trends in youth marijuana use in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

"Our study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to Rhode Island’s 2006 legalization of medical marijuana; however, additional research may follow future trends as medical marijuana in Rhode Island and other states becomes more widely used," Choo stated.

The study done by Choo and her team was funded by a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation.

Researchers and co-authors of the study included Nicholas Zaller, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School, Jason Mechan, Ph.D., of Rhode Island Hospital and Alpert Medical School, Kristin Rising, M.D., of Boston Medical Center, and John McConnell, Ph.D., of Oregon Health & Science University.