Cannabis use among German teens down since legalization

A new report from the Federal Institute for Public Health reveals that cannabis use among adolescents in Germany has declined since the country legalized access to the drug for adults.

These conclusions, which are consistent with the various Cannabis Legalization Around the World, continue to challenge one of the the arguments most frequently put forward by prohibitionists, according to which legalization inevitably leads to an increase in consumption among young people.

Published in the 2025 Drug Affinity Study, the survey shows that the cannabis use in the past year among adolescents aged 12 to 17 fell from 6.3% in 2023 to 6.1% in 2025. Frequent consumption, defined as consumption at least ten times over the past year, also decreased slightly, from 1.3% to 1.1%.

L’Germany has legalized the cannabis use by adults in April 2024, allowing adults to possess and cultivate limited quantities and establishing a cannabis cultivation club system nonprofit.

The survey, based on responses from 7,001 adolescents and young adults collected between April and July 2025, provides the first national overview of consumption trends following legalization.

The former Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, who led the reform, stated that these findings «confirm the goal of legalization: thanks to the debate on the dangers to children and adolescents, their use is not increasing—it may even be decreasing.» He added that these results «still need to be confirmed,» noting that «bans do not deter young people.».

A slight increase among young adults

While consumption among young people has declined, the study found a slight increase among young adults aged 18 to 25. Their consumption over the past year rose from 23.3% in 2023 to 25.6% in 2025, with the increase being more pronounced among men.

Johannes Nießen, acting director of the Federal Institute for Public Health, confirmed this trend in a press release: «Our data show that consumption among adolescents has not increased. However, use has risen slightly among young adults, particularly among men aged 18 to 25. We need to monitor this trend very closely.»

Results in line with international trends

The German findings are consistent with a growing body of data from other countries. In United States, where the Cannabis is legal in many states but still banned at the federal level, several studies have shown that use among young people remains stable, or even declines after legalization.

In July, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released data showing that cannabis use among young people had not increased nationwide. During a webinar on the topic, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University also confirmed that while the Adults reported an increase in consumption, while the rate among adolescents had remained generally stable or had decreased.

The advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) reviewed surveys of young people in states where cannabis has been legalized and found that in 19 of the 21 jurisdictions, cannabis use among adolescents had decreased, by an average of 35% in the states that were the first to legalize cannabis.

Similarly, in Canada, federal reports have shown that the rates of daily or near-daily use among youth and adults have remained stable since legalization in 2018.

These results reinforce the argument that has long been put forward by reform advocates : Regulated markets may reduce minors' access to cannabis, because legal frameworks are replacing the unregulated black market.