Teenage pot smoking statistics

TEENS AND POT: IS THE GRASS ALWAYS GREENER? MARIJUANA USE IS LINKED TO COGNITIVE OR NEURAL IMPAIRMENT, ESPECIALLY FOR TEENS. CAN WEED REALLY HARM YOU? FACTS ABOUT MARY JANE HERE. WHO'S TOKING? Percentage of students who have used marijuana in the past 12 months 8th grade 10th grade 12th grade 40 PERCENTAGE 30 20 10 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 4:20...GOTTA HAVE THE CHRONIC 1.1% 3.5% 6.5% 1.1% of 8th graders smoke marijuana daily 3.5% of 10th graders smoke marijuana daily 6.5% of 12th graders smoke marijuana daily OLDER TEENS ARE MORE LIKELY TO PUFF 11% 28% 36% 11% of 8th graders smoked weed in the past year 28% of 10th graders smoked weed in the past year 36% of seniors smoked weed in the past year IS WEED HARMLESS? PERCEIVED RISK DIMINISHES AS TEENS AGE. Percentage of students who see "great risk" in using marijuana regurarly 8th grade 10th grade 12th grade 80 PERCENTAGE 60 40 20 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 44.1% of 12th graders 41.7% 41.7 % of 8th graders see occasional use of 20.6% of 12th graders see occasional use as 44.1% see regular use as harmful 20.6% harmful marijuana as harmful (the lowest since 1983) (the lowest since 1979) BUT...MARIJUANA AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN A GOOD JOINT NEVER HURT NOBODY... OR DID IT? There is a link between prolonged marijuana use and cognitive or neural impairment. According to a 38-year NIH-funded study: THC alters the ability of the hippocampus, a brain area related to learning and memory, to communicate effectively with other brain regions. Marijuana use that begins during adolescence can lower IQ and impair other measures of mental function into adulthood. People who used cannabis heavily in their teens and continued through adulthood showed a significant drop in IQ between the ages of 13 and 38 - an average of eight points for those who met criteria for cannabis dependence. Heavy marijuana abusers have reported that the drug impaired several important measures of well-being and life achievement, including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status. Marijuana use that begins in adolescence increases the risk of addiction from about 1 in 11 overall to about 1 in 6 for those who start using in their teens, and even higher among daily smokers. Those who used marijuana heavily before age 18 (when the brain is still developing) showed impaired mental abilities even after they quit taking the drug. Regular cannabis use beginning in one's teens and persisting well into adulthood was associated with a decrement of about 8 points in IQ at age 38. BRIEF INTERVENTIONS CAN HELP Youth with more severe drug use Only 10% of teens who need treatment for substance use problems receive it. NIDA-funded researchers have Teens whose parents received a counseling session made still larger gains, which included significantly greater reductions in cannabis abuse and dependence disorders compared problems, additional treatment to the untreated teens. More than 60 percent of this group reported having been abstinent found that middle and high problems require more help. When assessment results identify school students markedly reduced their substance use moderate substance use and following two 60-minute therapy sessions uncover deeper sessions that combined motivational interviewing and is helpful. cognitive behavioral therapy. from cannabis for 90 consecutive days at their followup interview. REFERENCE SOURCES http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2013/02/adolescent-cigarette-alcohol-use-declines-marijuana-use-rises http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2013/01/brief-intervention-helps-adolescents-curb-substance-use http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/news-releases/2012/12/regular-marijuana-use-by-teens-continues-to-be-concern a ddictionblog.org Data and research provided by NIDA, Infographic by Addiction Blog