Recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older has been legalized by 23 states (plus Washington DC and Guam), which means that it’s more accessible than ever before — and it’s no surprise that an influx of online dispensaries have opened as a result. One unintended consequence: internet and app-based buying may make it easier for teens to get their hands on marijuana illegally, according to a new study in JAMA Pediatrics.
The issues, the study found, are lax policies and lenient enforcement of age limits. Looking at 80 different online dispensaries based across the country, the study found that 70 percent of the websites asked users to confirm they were of legal age upon entering the website, but only 3.8 percent asked for their birthdate. “None required verified age documentation to enter the website,” the study noted. When it came to actually purchasing marijuana, nearly 1 in 5 websites “required no formal age verification at any stage of the purchasing process.”
Another flag: nearly 84 percent of the websites accepted “nontraceable payment methods,” such as cash, prepaid cards, or crypto currency, which could enable “youth to hide their transactions,” the study noted. Over 27 percent of the websites delivered across state lines, with 95 percent of those delivering to states with different marijuana laws than the dispensary’s home state.
While the study is small and was conducted over a “relatively short period,” it clearly reveals some glaring holes in marijuana age enforcement. While marijuana is more widely-accepted now than ever before, and has been shown to have health benefits in certain forms, current research doesn’t support its use in kids and teens. Per Mayo Clinic, using marijuana as a teen or young adult “can affect normal brain development, leading to problems in learning, memory, coordination, reaction time and judgment.” Using marijuana at a young age also increases the risk of developing marijuana use disorder, which occurs when someone can’t stop using marijuana despite it causing health and social issues for them, per the CDC.
Given this context and the new research, the study’s authors say it’s “imperative to require strict age verification procedures prior to cannabis purchases online,” and to increase surveillance of the online dispensaries in order to protect kids and teens.
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