A study points to a connection – the other way – between teenagers and cities with medical cannabis available. Research from the University of Illinois Center for Prevention Research and Development says the rate is 18 percent for those in ZIP codes with a medical dispensary, and the rate is 22 percent for those who don’t.

The center’s director, social work professor Doug Smith, says he doesn’t know why the findings are the way they are. But one thing is clear: the study is already out of date, because the survey was conducted five years ago – before recreational dispensaries opened.

Smith – who says young people should stay away from substances while their brains are still developing – said covid interrupted his work on the biennial Illinois Youth Survey, but he is about to delve into some of the same questions now that recreational cannabis is legal.