Teenage Marijuana Use on the Rise

The number of high school students smoking weed on a daily basis is at a 30-year high. Meanwhile the number of students drinking, smoking or snorting coke is on the decrease! Progress!

The study, conducted by the NIH shows that about 25% of 8th, 10th and 12th graders (what, no 11th graders?) are smoking the marijuana cigarettes, up from 21% four years ago. Drinking has fallen by almost half amongst 8th graders and is steadily dropping in the other demos as well.

Doctors and officials blame the rise on medical marijuana and synthetic marijuana like ‘spice’ or K2.

“We’re clearly seeing an increase in teenage marijuana use that corresponds pretty clearly in time with the increase in medical marijuana use,” said Dr. Christian Thurstone, medical director of the adolescent substance abuse treatment program at Denver Health and Hospital Authority, who was not involved in the study.

(Source: NY Times)

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