Pot use among U.S. teens jumps while alcohol use declines

Pot use among U.S. teens jumps while alcohol use declines

Pot use has risen among American teenagers but drinking has dropped, a new study released on Tuesday by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows. The NIH 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey says that pot use in high school seniors rose from 5.2 percent in 2009 to 6.1 percent this year. Those in 10th grade reported a 3.3 percent rate this year, up from 2.8 percent last year. The rate for eight graders meanwhile also climbed from 1.0 percent to 1.2 percent. Health authorities are concerned about the growing use of cannabis among U.S. teens since it usually indicates that they are also using other illicit drugs. But positive data about teen drinking was also recorded, with drinking rates among the population group at "historically low" levels.

"These high rates of marijuana use during the teen and preteen years, when the brain continues to develop, place our young people at particular risk," said NIDA director Dr. Nora D. Volkow in a news conference. "Young people are particularly vulnerable to the diverse effects of drugs [and] the younger the age of initiation, the greater the likelihood of dependence, not just on marijuana but on a wide variety of drugs."

The NIDA and the University of Michigan surveyed more than 46,000 high school students in 400 private and public schools across the country. The NIDA survey has been conducted yearly since 1975. It collects information regarding alcohol, cigarette and drug abuse among eight, tenth and 12 graders. Health authorities have noticed a worrisome attitude of American teenagers toward the use of marijuana. They say more teens today dismiss the dangers of marijuana and the recent push for medical marijuana in some states may be contributing to this altered view of the effects of cannabis.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday December 15 2010, 2:28 AM EST. Ref: Business Week. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0