How Old Do You Have to Be to Smoke Weed?
Countless teenagers are trying weed, and many are using it daily. Among the current weed users’ number, a significant mass is of young teens. Additionally, the modern youth is more likely to smoke weed than a cigarette. So, what is the right age to smoke cannabis products like the delta 8 THC flower?
This article aims to discuss the legality of cannabis and its usage among minors. It will also discuss the regions that legalized marijuana and other necessary details.For the best experience, you can try percolator bong for smoking weed.
Cannabis Legality and Minors
The lawfulness of cannabis and minors is a topic most discussed when considering cannabis’s legalization. Several jurisdictions pose strict limits on the age, the same as they do with drinking liquor.
However, the particularities differ significantly. For instance, consuming cannabis is legal for individuals 18 years and older in Uruguay. In the US, around nineteen states consider the recreational use of cannabis like delta 8 THC flower to be legal for people that are 21 years old minimum.
However, if you consider the Netherlands, every type of drug is illegal, but 18+ individuals can smoke weed within establishments called coffee shops. Regarding Canada, 19-year-olds and above can purchase and use cannabis, excluding Alberta, which legalizes the same for 18+, and Quebec with 21-year-olds.
Weed and Health Among Minors
Based on how different nations view cannabis and how it impacts people with minors, they regulate it accordingly. Many studies show that juveniles are at a higher risk of building dependency on cannabis, thus making weed usage among children a concerning topic.
- As per the epidemiologists, individuals who start smoking weed from the age of 19 or above, nine percent of them will build dependency. This percentage triples for minors under 18 years. The reason is their brain develops rapidly when young.
- According to some studies, depression and anxiety disorders are a result of marijuana usage and exposure among underaged individuals. Additionally, medicinal marijuana serves as a treatment for acute diseases among children, including epilepsy and cancer.
- Cannabis helps reduce pain and is a healthier option against Oxycontin and morphine, which are more addictive. Moreover, medications like opioids for alleviating pain may cause vomiting or nausea. Cannabis, such as delta 8 THC flower, can help mitigate these symptoms.
- Hence, many argue that cannabis should be acceptable to treat the pain of younger patients if opioids are also tolerable. Furthermore, the consequence of minors consuming cannabis is the low consumption of cigarettes and alcohol.
Age Requirements by the US States
According to the federal CSA (Controlled Substances Act), marijuana is unlawful. However, several states legalize specific medicinal marijuana forms, and there is a good number of states adopting the legalization of recreational cannabis use by adults of the age of 21 and above, including California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, etc.
Nonetheless, recreational cannabis usage is illegal in all fifty states for individuals below the legal age or minors. Hence, if you wish to use delta 8 THC flower, you must be of required legal age. In certain states like Connecticut, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, using specific marijuana forms is possible for minors if they fulfill certain criteria.
- For instance, to become a cardholder, Illinois demands the parents of minors to fill out the form for Medical Cannabis Custodial Parent/Legal Guardian Attestation. Additionally, two physicians must certify the medical records of the cardholders. In Pennsylvania, minors require additional paperwork and a caregiver with a background check.
- In many states like Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, etc., the legal age to use medical marijuana is 18 and above. In Hawaii, medical cannabis has been legal for all ages from the beginning of the century.
Legality in Uruguay
Cannabis has been legal in Uruguay since 2014. It became the first country around the globe to control cannabis production, consumption, and sales for individuals of the age of 18 years or above. The aim was to eliminate organized violence and crime brought about by the illegal business of drugs.
Hence, there was no social pressure but devotion towards safeguarding society from the harm created by the illegal drug market. Hence, the primary goal was to snatch the market from offenders and not promote smoking cannabis. The age to use and have cannabis, like Delta 8 THC flower, in Uruguay is 18 or older, three years more than in the US. However, this led to cannabis use among the high school students.
Legality in the Netherlands
Conversely to Uruguay, selling, possessing, and producing cannabis or any other drug is illegal in the Netherlands. Moreover, the Dutch police conduct around 5000 raids yearly across the country. However, as per the drug policy designed by the government, cannabis usage is tolerable under stringent conditions for individuals of the minimum age of 18 years.
People can smoke weed within the coffee shops, which sell the “soft drugs” marijuana, like delta 8 THC flower. These shops ensure soft drug users do not get involved with heroin or other hard drugs. However, Dutch law prohibits drug trafficking and requires these coffee shops to acquire their cannabis illegally and secretly. Moreover, these coffee shops must also follow specific conditions.
What Should Be the Legal Age for Using Cannabis?
According to research, individuals who began using at the age of 18 showed an inclination towards smoking tobacco in the future compared to the individuals who started using cannabis when they were 19 or 20 years old.
- Starting the use of cannabis at the age of 19 or above contributed to increased academic degree attainment rates, improved mental well-being, and improved general health. Those who began smoking cannabis before the age of 19 years report a reduced number of those who graduated from college.
- These individuals may show inadequate neurological development or an increase in the dropout number from higher education. Some individuals may start using cannabis, such as delta 8 THC flower, at a very young age as a portal to start using hard drugs, which can deteriorate their health.
- Additionally, the results do not improve by starting cannabis at 20 years or older. Hence, better future outcomes only come for those beginning cannabis usage at 19 years than 18 years. But these outcomes were not worse compared to those starting between 20-25. As a result, 19 is the right age if legalized for cannabis usage.
Conclusion
The legal age for using cannabis may differ from nation to nation and state to state. Many countries consider cannabis usage illegal, while others may not. In the US, around 19 states allow recreational use to individuals over 21 years. While many states still consider it unlawful or only allow for medical use. There are nations where individuals over 18 years old can use cannabis, like Uruguay.
