Teens Increasingly View Cannabis As Less Harmful Than Alcohol Or Vapes — And Public Health Experts Are Paying Attention

A new California study analyzing responses from more than 175,000 students found that teenagers consistently view cannabis as less harmful than alcohol, nicotine vapes, and cigarettes. Researchers say the perception gap becomes even stronger as students get older, with 12th graders reporting the lowest perceived risk around cannabis use.

The findings highlight a major shift in how younger generations think about cannabis.

For decades, cannabis was positioned publicly as one of the most dangerous illicit substances in the United States. But legalization, normalized branding, social media exposure, and changing public attitudes have dramatically altered that perception—especially among teenagers growing up in post-legalization America.

According to the study, cannabis was consistently rated as the least harmful substance compared to alcohol, nicotine vaping, and cigarettes across both the 2019–2020 and 2024 survey periods. Researchers also found that peer behavior and personal experience strongly influenced perceptions of risk. Teens with friends who used cannabis—or who had used it themselves—were significantly more likely to view it as low risk.

What makes the findings important is that public health research has long shown a connection between lower perceived harm and higher likelihood of use.

That doesn’t necessarily mean cannabis is harmless—or uniquely dangerous. It means the perception landscape around cannabis is changing faster than public education systems can adapt.

At the same time, the comparison to vaping and alcohol introduces another layer to the conversation. Nicotine vaping has become heavily associated with addiction concerns, respiratory risks, and aggressive youth-targeted marketing over the past decade. Some recent respiratory research has also linked cannabis vaping specifically to elevated respiratory symptoms among adolescents.

Meanwhile, alcohol continues to carry some of the highest long-term public health burdens in the United States, despite remaining socially normalized and legally accessible nationwide.

The result is a generational recalibration of risk.

For many younger consumers, cannabis is increasingly viewed less as a “drug” and more as a controlled lifestyle substance—particularly when compared against nicotine products or binge drinking culture. Legalization and commercialization have accelerated that shift.

Still, researchers caution that adolescent cannabis use remains a public health concern due to potential impacts on brain development, cognition, attention, and mental health during developmental years.

The broader issue now isn’t simply whether cannabis is viewed positively or negatively. It’s whether public health messaging can evolve fast enough to match the reality of modern cannabis culture.

Because today’s teenagers are not forming opinions about cannabis through outdated anti-drug campaigns alone. They’re forming them through legalization, branding, social media, peer networks, celebrity culture, and direct exposure to regulated cannabis markets.

At Elevated Club NYC, the focus remains on informed adult consumption, transparency, and staying engaged with the evolving science and cultural shifts surrounding cannabis.

Because as legalization expands, perception itself is becoming one of the industry’s most powerful forces.