[PRESS RELEASE] – DENVER, June 16, 2026 – Rates of marijuana use among Colorado high school and middle school students continue to decline and remain lower than the national average, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's (CDPHE) biannual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. Access to marijuana also appears to have declined significantly.
Results from the most recent survey, which was conducted in 2025, are now available via the HKCS Interactive Dashboard. It found 9.7% of high school students in Colorado reported using cannabis in the past 30 days, down from 12.8% in 2021. This represents a 56% decrease since 2011 (22%), the year preceding Colorado voters’ approval of Amendment 64, which legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older.
Nationwide, 17% of high school students report using cannabis in the past 30 days, according to the latest results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which are compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The same trend is seen with the rate of past-30-day marijuana use among Colorado middle school students, which is down to 1.5% in 2025 from 3% in 2023 and 5.1% in 2013. Rates of lifetime use are also down among both high school and middle school students in Colorado.
Teens are also perceiving marijuana to be less accessible. The latest HKCS found 33.5% of Colorado high school students reported it would be "sort of easy or very easy to get marijuana if they wanted," down from 40.4% in 2023 and representing a 39% drop since 2013 (54.9%).
Earlier this year, the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division announced the state’s regulated marijuana businesses had a 99% compliance rate with state laws prohibiting underage sales.
Statement from Chuck Smith, CEO of Colorado Leads:
"We are extremely pleased to see the rate of cannabis use among teens in Colorado continues to decline and remains lower than the national average. More than a decade after legalization, Colorado continues to demonstrate that a well-regulated cannabis market can successfully reduce underage access and protect public health.
“While these long-term trends are promising, we recognize the importance of remaining vigilant and continuing to work alongside other stakeholders to sustain this progress. Colorado’s legal cannabis industry remains firmly committed to preventing youth access, as evidenced by consistently high compliance rates for age verification and refusing sales to minors. Together, we will continue building on the success of a regulatory framework that is delivering the outcomes it was designed to achieve.”
