New Monitoring the Future Survey Indicates Marijuana Use Is Increasing Among Teens

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Rancho Cucamonga, CA - December 20th, 2012: New Monitoring the Future Survey Indicates Marijuana Use Is Increasing Among Teens

"Coalition for a Drug Free California is alarmed at youth marijuana use not only in California, but around the nation. We have reached an epidemic and there is no end in sight. Elected leaders are failing our children and our communities. States that allow for so-called 'medical-pot' are seeing explosive numbers. The pro-drug legalization lobby poured millions of dollars into pro-marijuana campaigns in Colorado and Washington that now outright permit marijuana use, sale and cultivation. The impact of such reckless campaigns endangers America's most vulnerable; our children. Forget the fiscal cliff -- the bigger problem is the cliff today's children are walking towards," said Dr. Paul Chabot, President of the Coalition for a Drug Free California www.drugfreecalifornia.org

By the numbers: 

• Youth perception of the dangers of marijuana has fallen to the lowest level on record, a new study says. Researchers warn that already high use of pot will increase as states move to legalize.

• The annual survey found that only 41.7 percent of eighth graders believe that occasional use of marijuana is harmful, while 66.9 percent regard it as dangerous when used regularly. Both rates are the lowest since 1991, when the government first began tracking this age group.

• Youth perception of marijuana risks diminished even more as they got older. 20.6 percent of 12th graders believe occasional use of marijuana is harmful while 44.1 percent believed that its regular use was detrimental, the lowest rate since 1979.

• The government-sponsored study said teens' dwindling concerns about the dangers of marijuana, despite the risks, "can signal future increases in use."

• Those who used cannabis heavily in their teens and into their adulthood showed a significant drop in IQ between the ages of 13 and 38, according to the studies.

• Marijuana use among teenagers remained stuck at high levels in 2012.  6.5 percent of 12th graders smoked marijuana daily, up from 5.1 percent in 2007. 23 percent of the high-school seniors said they smoked the drug in the month prior to the survey. 36.4 percent used it in the past year and 45.2 percent said they had tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime.

• Daily marijuana use by 10th graders rose dramatically from 2.8 percent to 3.5 percent, and for eighth-grade students it edged up from 0.8 percent to 1.1 percent.

According to a release from Drug Free America Foundation, “This report shows that marijuana use has increased among youth and that the attitudes about marijuana’s harmfulness has significantly decreased, which clearly demonstrates what we have known for years - when the perception of the harms of drugs decreases, use rises,” said Calvina Fay, Executive Director of Drug Free America Foundation and Save Our Society From Drugs. “Over the years, the ruse that marijuana is a medicine has created a false sense that this addictive, dangerous drug is not harmful, but in fact helpful. Now, this year, two states have legalized marijuana use for any purpose. Unless we aggressively push-back against all marijuana legalization efforts, I am very concerned this negative trend of increased marijuana use will continue!  Perhaps it’s time to withhold federal funds from states that fail to uphold our nation’s drug laws,” Fay added.

Download the government's report here:

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/