Study: Teen Cannabis Use Declines Despite States Continuing to Legalize
The 2014
Monitoring the Future study, conducted by the University of Michigan and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, was released Tuesday morning. The annual survey of 40,000 8th-graders, 10th-graders and 12th-graders found that, despite increasing efforts to legalize the substance, teen cannabis use is on the decline.
According to the study, teens reporting lifetime use of cannabis dropped in 2014 by 1.4 percent, teens reporting monthly use of cannabis dropped by 1.2 percent, and teens reporting daily cannabis use dropped by .7%. Overall, the survey found that roughly 30% of teens have used cannabis in their lifetimes, with about 14% saying they’ve consumed cannabis in the previous month.
“We have not seen increases in the use, which is something we were afraid would happen,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, at a press conference Tuesday morning. Dr. Volkow also notes that; “Both alcohol and cigarette use in 2014 are at their lowest points since the study began in 1975”.
The full study can be found by clicking here.
– TheJointBlog