Global health. The current scenario and future perspectives

219 Source: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Data Archive. (n. d.). Interactive NSDUH State Estimates. Retrieved from https://pdas.samhsa.gov/saes/state. It is important to look at national data before focusing on states where marijuana has been legalized for recreational purposes, since in many cases the national situation is replicated, as shown below. The states of Colorado and Washington were the first to legalize recreational marijuana use. In both cases, the corresponding laws were passed in 2012 and retail sales began around 2014. Figures 6 and 7 show the trends in past-year prevalence of marijuana use in Colorado and Washington. In both cases, no major changes can be observed in the trend among individuals aged 12 to 17 until the combined data for 2013-2014, followed by a slight decrease. In the higher consumption age group of 18 to 25, a mild but steady increase can be seen until 2016-2017 in Colorado, followed by a stabilization. In contrast, in Washington, a stabilization is observed until 2014-2015 and then an increase. Similarly, in the age group above 26, since 2015, the level of consumption has exceeded that of the 12 to 17-year-old population. 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Past-year prevalence of marijuana use in the United States by age group 12 to 17 18to 25 26 and older 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020