Teens Smoke Less Weed Even Though It Is Legal and Easy to Get

Getting weed has never been easier. The Substack essayist behind the decline of deviance argument points out "in 24 US states, you can buy and consume it purely for fun" and that "you can buy CBD gummies at the gas station." He puts the teen version this way: "The only thing standing between a 15-year-old and a four-pack of JBAD Jellies Blue Razz THC Pucks is one unscrupulous older sibling who is willing to pick them up for you."

Today's teens also judge the drug as less dangerous than earlier generations did. His explanation is that they did not get the old schoolroom warning that smoking pot would leave you living in a van down by the river. That scare tactic lands flat when a cannabis derived product sits by the gas station register.

And yet teens smoke less weed than teens did in the 1990s.

His explanation treats risk as a bargain. When daily life grows safer and richer, taking an avoidable risk looks like a worse deal, even when the danger looks small and the payoff is close at hand.

A teenager today can reasonably expect about 70 more healthy years, years that in most places are not often ended early by violence, war, accidents, or serious illness. He has infinite entertainment on demand without leaving his room. If he does well in school and stays out of trouble, he has a strong chance at a stable and comfortable future.