U.S. teen marijuana use decline faltering: survey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Recent declines in marijuana use by U.S. teens appear to have stalled this year and their abuse of prescription drugs remains at worrisome levels, researchers said on Thursday.
The annual survey of U.S. teen drug use, conducted by University of Michigan researchers for the U.S. government, also found continuing declines in cigarette smoking and alcohol use.
Marijuana is the most commonly used of the illicit drugs and its use had been in a slow but steady decrease this decade, but that appeared to halt this year, researchers said.
The survey found that marijuana use by students in two of the three grades measured increased slightly. The researchers said 11 percent of eighth graders, 24 percent of 10th graders, and 32 percent of 12th graders reported using the drug in the prior year.
But the annual survey has shown an overall downward trend in teen drug use this decade, and President George W. Bush, in comments at the White House, cited progress on the issue during his presidency.
“No question there’s still work to do in America, but we are making progress. And one way to note the progress is this statistic — since 2001, teen-age use has declined by 25 percent. That means 900,000 fewer teens on drugs.”
It is interesting that George W. Bush would attribute fewer teens smoking marijuana to any drug policies he has enacted. It’s not the silly anti-marijuana ads your Drug Czar has been running, like the ones where cannabis users shot their friends, run over little girls on bikes, or let their sisters drown. Studies have shown that those ads haven’t worked and may have made kids more likely to try cannabis.
It’s not arresting more adults for cannabis. Bill Clinton doubled marijuana arrests and teen use went way up. While George W. Bush has arrested more cannabis consumers per year than Clinton, Bush actually slowed down the rate of arrests.
Maybe it’s medical marijuana! In 2001, there were only eight medical marijuana states. Now there are thirteen. And in those medical marijuana states, teen use has gone down at a rate greater than the US average.
Personally, I think teen use goes down when the economy gets tight. Marijuana is expensive. Gas costs more and the minimum wage stayed stagnant for years. Perhaps the slight increase this year matches the slight increase in the minimum wage.
Whatever the reasons, the fluctuation in drug use by teens is a very complex issue. One place that has consistently lower rates of teen drug use – about half of American rates – is the Netherlands, where you can buy marijuana in a coffee shop. If you’re really concerned about teen use, Mr. Bush, why not try regulated sales to adults? Coffee shops in Amsterdam check IDs – teen pot dealers don’t.
