Changes in Cannabis Use From 2014 to 2019 Among Young Adults in Washington State

Understanding changes in cannabis use in the legalized nonmedical cannabis context is critical. Washington State, one the earliest states to implement legalization, presents a unique opportunity to examine how cannabis use and its consequences changed after the implementation of legalization for adults. With a focus on Washington State young adults, this study conducted in 2022-2023 examined changes in (1) cannabis use by sex and age, (2) preferred mode of use, and (3) cannabis use disorder symptoms.

Using repeated cross-sectional data on young adults aged 18-25 years in Washington State from 2014 (premarket opening) to 2019 (N=12,945), logistic regression models assessed trends over time in the prevalence of any and frequent (20+ days) past-month cannabis use. Among individuals reporting use, multinomial logistic regressions estimated trends over time in the preferred mode of use and negative binomial regressions examined trends in the count of cannabis use disorder symptoms.

From 2014 to 2019, the prevalence of cannabis use converged by sex, with females being equally likely as males to report both any and frequent use by 2019. Among young adults reporting past-month use, smoking as the preferred mode of use decreased relative to other modes. Number of cannabis use disorder symptoms reported increased, which was not accounted for by changes in preferred mode of use.

During the 5-year period following the implementation of legalization, patterns of young adult cannabis use shifted, including particularly sharp increases among females and increases in cannabis use disorder symptoms. Future studies should investigate underlying causes for these important changes.