Warning: Marijuana Use By Teens Up For The First Time In Decade

On TV, in school and, hopefully, at home, children hear messages over and over warning them about the dangers of abusing drugs. But just when you think maybe the repetition is reaching overkill, statistics like those revealed in a National Institute on Drug Abuse study released this week show the message isn’t getting through to everyone.

For the first time in more than a decade, reported marijuana use by teens went up instead of down. Of the roughly 47,000 eighth-, 10th- and 12th-grade students surveyed, 32.8 percent of high school seniors admitted using marijuana in the last year. The rates were 26.7 percent of sophomores and 11.8 percent of eighth-graders.

With regard to alcohol, 43.5 percent of 12th-graders reported taking a drink within the previous month. While that’s down from 52.7 percent in 1997, it’s still alarmingly high, showing many teens – and probably some adults – still consider underage drinking a rite of passage or a bit of harmless mischief.

It’s not. As pointed out in a recent story, abusing these “less dangerous” drugs can make youngsters more likely to continue abusing them, and take up other substances.

These numbers underscore the importance of continuing public programs to dissuade kids from trying and abusing drugs – whether it’s alcohol, marijuana, prescription medication or even cigarettes (6.5 percent of eighth-graders surveyed admitted smoking within the previous 30 days). But there’s only so much law enforcement, teachers and public service announcements can do.

The home remains the front line. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, children whose parents teach them a lot about the risks of drugs are 50 percent less likely to use. That means parents need to take an active role and not just assume their children aren’t being exposed to drugs or tempted to experiment.

Resource:

“Kids must receive anti-drug message.” Marietta Times. 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. <http://www.mariettatimes.com/>.