As a child of the 70s, who witnessed the proliferation of marijuana, I still have to admit I am stunned by a very recent University of Michigan study. Do you know what they seem to have discovered?
Sit down! According to the study, the percentage of high school students who smoke marijuana is greater than those who smoke tobacco! Holy, crud – does America have a weed problem or whatjQuery15209949025802779943_1324157222490
Nearly 23 percent of 12th graders polled said they used marijuana over the last month, compared with 18.7 percent who said they smoked cigarettes.
Cigarette use is down among all three grades, dropping 60 percent during the last 15 years, according to the survey. Among 12th graders, 18.7 percent reported they smoked a cigarette during the past month, compared with 36.5 percent in 1997 – the most recent peak.
Binge drinking is also at a historic low among the combined grades surveyed, down from 41 percent five years ago to 22 percent this year. Binge drinking is defined as four drinks in one sitting for women, five for men.
Findings among 12th graders show that 36.4 percent used marijuana in the past year while 6.6 percent used it daily, up from 31.5 and 5 percent, respectively, from five years ago.
The reason why marijuana is becoming so popular is that the perceived risk is down.
Corresponding to the rise in marijuana use is the increased use of synthetic marijuana, which is often sold in drug paraphernalia shops, gas stations, or online. The drugs, also known as "spice" or "K2," contain chemical compounds that produce a high similar to marijuana when smoked.
This is the first survey that tracked synthetic marijuana; 11.4 percent of 12th graders reported abusing the drug during the past year.
The survey polled 46,773 students from 400 public and private schools across the US.
Even though I was one of the “stoners” in high school, I certainly was part of a much smaller group than those who loved to blow fags (smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco). This is an alarming trend, one that I also have witnessed in my classes as a counselor on for both in class and online drug education classes.