UW study shows teens, adults not clear on Washington marijuana law

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SEATTLE (AP) — A study shows that many people are apparently still not clear on the specifics of Washington's new law that legalizes marijuana.

University of Washington research, published recently in Substance Use & Misuse, found that only 57 percent of Washington parents in a small survey knew the legal age for recreational pot use. And just 63 percent knew that homegrown marijuana is illegal under the law.

The study found 71 percent of 10th graders knew the legal age, but fewer than half knew the legal limit for marijuana possession.

Data for the study - which involved 115 low-income families of teens attending Tacoma middle schools - was initially collected before Washington approved recreational marijuana in 2012, and then two years later during the summer of 2013.

Kevin Haggerty, a UW professor of social work, says the findings show the need for better educational outreach. Haggerty says the states legalizing marijuana need to run public information campaigns to insure people have the information they need.