Among Teenagers Marijuana Use on the Rise

More teens are turning to pot and see it as less of a risk at the same time alcohol use among the same age group has dipped to historic lows, according to an annual national survey of drug use released Wednesday. The findings were based on a survey of 47,000 eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders conducted by the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse ( see http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/9-videos/20124-marijuana-use-continues-to-rise-among-us-teens-while-alcohol-use-hits-historic-lows). Among the more important findings from this year's Monitoring the Future survey of U.S. secondary school students are the following: Marijuana use among teens rose in 2011 for the fourth straight year—a sharp contrast to the considerable decline that had occurred in the preceding decade. Daily marijuana use is now at a 30-year peak level among high school seniors. Synthetic marijuana," which until earlier this year was legally sold and goes by such names as "K2" and "spice," was added to the study's coverage in 2011; one in every nine high school seniors (11.4%) reported using that drug in the prior 12 months. Alcohol use—and, importantly, occasions of heavy drinking—continued a long-term gradual decline among teens, reaching historically low levels in 2011. Energy drinks are being consumed by about one third of teens, with use highest among younger teens. SUMMARY: The proportion of young people using any illicit drug has been rising gradually over the past four years, due largely to increased use of marijuana—the most widely used of all the illicit drugs. The proportion of students reporting using any illicit drug other than marijuana has been following a gradual decline for some years, but has remained fairly stable over the most recent three years, with 2011 levels being similar to the 2008 levels. Yours Bernd