Children in states with legal recreational cannabis did not perceive cannabis as less risky than children in states where it was illegal

There was no significant main effect of state recreational cannabis laws on perceived risk of cannabis use among children, and no differences in how risk perception changed over time between states with and without legalization. These null findings persisted after controlling for sex, race, SES, religiosity, and trait impulsivity.

Multilevel regression analysis of ABCD Study data. 10,395 children aged 9-10 at baseline assessed longitudinally across 3 years. Multilevel modeling accounted for state-, family-, and participant-level clustering.

A major concern about cannabis legalization is that it will normalize cannabis for children. This large, nationally representative study finds no evidence that state-level legalization laws change how children perceive cannabis risk, at least in the 9-13 age range.

While legalization may affect adult attitudes and use patterns, this study suggests that children's risk perceptions are shaped more by family, individual traits, and developmental factors than by state-level legal status, at least during late childhood.

Assessed risk perception, not actual use behavior. Children aged 9-13 may be too young for legalization to affect their attitudes. Perception may shift during adolescence when cannabis becomes more socially relevant. Cannot account for local-level variation within states.