United States: A new study indicates that weed use over this last decade has significantly reduced among teenagers in the United States.
Using the study done by the researchers, there was an observation that the number of teenagers who are currently using marijuana in 2021 was 16% while in 2011 it was at 23%, as reported by HealthDay.
Trends Across Grades and First-Time Users
Current use of weed was found to have reduced in all the grades and, particularly, the 9th graduate, according to the researchers.
In addition, the prevalence of youths who used weed for the first time before the age of thirteen also reduced to about 5% in 2021, down from about 8% in 2011.
As demonstrated by the research, weed use is highest in high school seniors and juniors; 22% and 19%, respectively, a tenth, used it regularly.
“While we observed an overall decline from 2011 to 2021 across all grades, older students consistently reported higher usage, particularly 12th graders,” said senior researcher Panagiota Kitsantas, chair of population health and social medicine with Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine. “This suggests that as adolescents advance through high school, they may have greater access to marijuana, influenced by more developed peer networks and increased independence.”
“This trend highlights the need for targeted interventions aimed at older adolescents, who are at a greater risk of regular marijuana use,” Kinsantas added in a news release.
They also noted that girls now are taking more than boy children, something that was not the case ten years back.
The researchers found that current weed use was higher among teenage girls than boys and that close to one in five teenage girls used marijuana occasionally in 2021. Quite a reversal from 2011 here, where 26% of boys reported use of weed and 20% of girls.
Racial Disparities in Usage
Scientists also noted that 21% of Black teenagers were more likely to be marijuana users than whites, 15%, Hispanics, 17% and Asians 5%.
In total, for the study, the researchers used the statistics received based on the questionnaire filled in by over 88 thousands of teenagers in the United States, and the data were gathered through the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that is conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Investigators stated in background notes that when one uses weed as a teenager whether occasionally or frequently the brain is harmed in a way that one has poor learning abilities, has problems in recalling issues and has attention difficulties.
Researchers found out that teenagers who use marijuana have lower grade point averages and are two to three and a half times more likely to be involved in this case. They also experience a fourfold rise in psychosis diagnosis into adulthood, as reported by HealthDay.
The Influence
“In the U.S., the current landscape of marijuana legalization in adults adds a complex layer to the issues of adolescent marijuana use,” said researcher Dr. Charles Hennekens, a professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Florida Atlantic University. “As more states continue to legalize recreational marijuana, the accessibility and perceived normalcy of the drug may increase, particularly for adolescents who may view its legal status as an indication of safety or acceptability.”
“Research suggests that marijuana legalization in adults can influence adolescent behavior through their perceptions of less risk as well as increased availability, both of which may impede efforts to reduce adolescent use,” Hennekens added in a university news release.
