The debate over marijuana legalization is fraught with problematic surveying and misappropriation of data, says David W. Murray. A senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Murray has penned a response to the 2015 Healthy Kids Colorado school survey's findings on teen marijuana use. Here is a summary of his findings:
- There is no Colorado “survey;" and no capacity to "represent" Colorado youth.
- The sample represents no more than the kids who participated.
- Media reported youth use "flat," but steep increases were nonetheless widespread.
- Colorado youth marijuana use cannot be "below the national average." They have the highest rate of marijuana use in the nation.
- The survey response rate, only 46 percent, was inadequate; crucially, below the threshold set by the Centers for Disease Control.
- The only "lesson" about legalization is a warning sign.
Read Murray's whole report here.