MARIJUANA
Marijuana
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Marijuana is, without a doubt, the most popular illicit drug in use in America. It has retained its popularity through decades, although its use is declining overall. Marijuana is so popular( 39.8 percent of the U. S. population has tried marijuana at least once) in part because it is regarded as a relatively“ safe” drug. However, efforts to educate youth about marijuana substance abuse may be contributing to its slight decline.
Young adults and marijuana substance abuse
Marijuana use is most common among young adults aged 18-25( more than 16 percent have used marijuana in the last month. In this age group, reports the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana is most popular with college students. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control report that 30.2 percent of college students have used marijuana in the past year.
It is worth noting that marijuana use is trending down in this segment of the population. Last year college student use is down from 33.3 percent in 2005. And young adults as a whole( this number includes college students) report a drop from 28.2 percent last year use to 27.7 percent.
High school students and marijuana use
Like marijuana use among college students and young adults, marijuana use is dropping overall with high school students. Here are some of the numbers, according to the Monitoring the Future survey:
8th graders: Past month use down to 5.7 percent in 2007 from 6.5 percent in 2006. Also, use at least one time has dropped from 15.7 percent in 2006 to 14.2 percent in 2007.
10th graders: Past month use has remained stable at 14.2 percent, but lifetime use has dropped slightly, from 31.8 percent in 2006 to 31.0 percent in 2007.
12th graders: This is an interesting age group, since it is the only group that has seen an increase in marijuana use over the past month, from 18.3 percent in 2006 to 18.8 percent in 2007. However, those that have tried it once in a lifetime have actually dropped from 42.3 percent to 41.8 percent.
It is worth noting that most high school students think that smoking marijuana regularly constitutes a great risk. However, as high school students age, they change their attitudes about marijuana use. Of 8th graders, 74.3 percent think that smoking marijuana regularly poses a risk. Amongst
24 | Illinois Spring / Summer 2014 | abusemagazine. org
Source: marijuanaaddictiontreatment. org / statistics-facts. html