More Marijuana, Less Alcohol For US Teens

A recent study has found that more teens in America are lighting up a joint instead of overdoing the alcohol consumption. The United States government does an annual study of eighth, tenth, and twelfth-graders and asks them about their drug and alcohol usage in order to see the trends that teens are setting.

According to the report, senior student usage of marijuana was 6.1 percent, which is quite the increase when compared to 5.2 percent that was recorded in 2009. The usage climbed for tenth graders as well, going from 2.8 percent in 2009 up to 3.3 percent this year. Eighth graders saw the lowest increase, with a 1.2 percent smoking daily this year, compared to the 1 percent in 2009.

According to Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the director for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “In clinical studies, epidemiology has shown that those who get exposed to marijuana before age 17 are more likely not just to become dependent on marijuana, but are more likely to become dependent on a wide variety of drugs.”

Interestingly enough, it seems that smoking rates for teens are staying the same, except kids are exchanging cigarettes for marijuana.

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