Teen smoking, drinking at 30-year low

**Prince** · 12-15-2011, 12:30 PM

Teen smoking, drinking at 30-year low
By Shari Roan Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Fewer teens drink and smoke cigarettes than in any time in the past 30 years, but the widespread availability of medical marijuana appears to be fueling a rise in pot use, health experts said Wednesday.

One in four of the 47,000 teens surveyed for the 2011 Monitoring the Future report said they had used marijuana at some point during the past year, up from 21.4 percent in 2007. The survey, which polled students nationwide in the 8th, 10th and 12th grades, also found that one in 15 of the oldest students used pot on a daily or near-daily basis — the highest rate since 1981.

For the first time, researchers asked 12th grade students about synthetic marijuana, which contains cannabinoids and produces a high similar to pot but is thought to be more dangerous because it can be contaminated with unknown substances.

The finding — 11 percent of all high school seniors had tried the substance — surprised researchers.

Sold by the names Spice or K2, the drug has been widely available online and in tobacco shops until recently. In February, the Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified some of the chemicals found in the products as Schedule I controlled substances, which made them illegal.

The survey also revealed that teens don’t think of marijuana as dangerous. Because of that, “we can predict that use of marijuana is going to increase,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funds the annual study.

That pot has become more widely used as more states legalize the use of medical marijuana legalization cannot be ignored, said R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

When marijuana is taken out of the equation, the proportion of teens reporting they had used any illicit drug declined through the first half of the 2000s and has been stable over the past three years.

Declines were also seen in the use of inhalants, crack cocaine, the painkiller Vicodin, the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall and over-the-counter cold and cough medicines.

**GreenOx** · 12-15-2011, 12:57 PM

Shit 11% of 12th grade students are the honest ones and the rest are too scared to admit they use it.

**gamma** · 12-15-2011, 12:59 PM

x2 ^^^^^

**BillHicksFan** · 12-16-2011, 02:46 AM

Fewer teens choose not to drink and smoke cigarettes because drug and alcohol education actually works. They should be happy that pot use is on the rise. Less cancer, less violence, less road accidents and less stupidity in general.
It's a healthy, non-aggressive and thought provoking drug (which is why it's illegal).
This system of education should be applied to all recreational and hallucinogenic drugs and then people could regain the right to explore their own consciousness without having to be labelled a criminal or risking serious repercussions.
Mushroom related deaths only occur as a direct result of misidentification yet nobody can get their pickings checked over by an expert.
They don't want the general public realising the many benefits of such substances therefore they continue to demonise them with propaganda tactics.

The fact that synthetic marijuana exists is an absolute joke. They take something that's completely harmless and turn it into something dangerous because they are looking after our best interests?

It frustrates me to read articles such as this only to see these clowns making out they are genuinely looking out for our own best interests when in fact they are selling the destructive drugs and prohibiting the drugs that have aided our psychological evolution for the past 200,000 years. We are the first culture in the history of mankind to turn our backs on nature and rely on pharmaceutical drugs.

I don't know what frustrates me more. The pricks making these rules or the fact that society in general not only accept their stolen liberty, but they embrace it with their full support.

**BillHicksFan** · 12-16-2011, 03:46 AM

"The survey also revealed that teens don’t think of marijuana as dangerous. Because of that, “we can predict that use of marijuana is going to increase,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse."

This is either flawed logic or an intentional distraction from any relevant issue.

**murf23** · 12-16-2011, 06:34 AM

Thats because the majority of them are either sniffing,smoking or swallowing pills now !

**~RaZr~** · 12-16-2011, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by murf23

Thats because the majority of them are either sniffing,smoking or swallowing pills now !

^^^This 100%

**justhav2p** · 12-16-2011, 07:04 AM

^ are you insinuating marijuana is a gateway drug to pills and other drugs?

If cocaine was most prevalent and cheap around my teen years,... then cocaine would have been my "gateway" drug.

**~RaZr~** · 12-16-2011, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by justhav2p

^ are you insinuating marijuana is a gateway drug to pills and other drugs?

If cocaine was most prevalent and cheap around my teen years,... then cocaine would have been my "gateway" drug.

If your referring to me, I don't think weed or cocaine are gate way drugs. Cocaine is in a class all of its own due to the physical and psychological hell it causes. Weed shouldn't even be considered a drug IMHO. The prevalence of pills and prescription med abuse has been a major concern for years. Case in point, OxyContin, methadone, morphine....need I say more?

**bdeljoose** · 12-16-2011, 10:14 AM

^^^
Prescription pills are huge now.

**IronAddict** · 12-16-2011, 10:31 AM

After all that, suddenly, I'm in the mood to smoke a joint!

**bdeljoose** · 12-16-2011, 10:35 AM

I just did some pills.Just kidding

**wendy may** · 02-27-2012, 12:50 AM

Teens sure have a lot for them going on. The rising of this drugs are rampant and it just makes you feel sorry for these teens. Drugs are very harmful to anyone and doing it this young is just scary. Schools should be active in stopping this from happening and parents should educate their kids about the harmfulness of drugs.

**Nivek** · 02-27-2012, 10:15 PM

Good luck.

**MDR** · 02-27-2012, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by murf23

Thats because the majority of them are either sniffing,smoking or swallowing pills now !

I agree that pills are a huge problem for kids (and adults) these days.

**BP2000** · 02-27-2012, 11:34 PM

especially those little 10mg pink ones

**BillHicksFan** · 02-28-2012, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by MDR

I agree that pills are a huge problem for kids (and adults) these days.

They are a major problem for me. I haven't had a decent one in years!

**akit** · 03-21-2012, 11:43 PM

That's a big problem. Every one must know causes of smoking and drinking.Awareness may help teens.

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