Fewer teens are smoking cigarettes than ever before, but they might just be smoking marijuana instead! Teen marijuana use has increased over the past five years to the highest it’s been in 30 years. According to a survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, more than 6% of high school seniors reported using it every day…EVERY DAY! In addition, teens who think marijuana use is a risky behavior continues to decline.
But teens aren’t just smoking marijuana. Synthetic cannabinoids, known as K2 and Spice, are also dangerously on the rise. More than 11% of 12th graders reported using the drugs in the past year. Sold in smoke shops and gas stations, it’s an easily attainable “quick high” that can cause serious harm.
On a brighter note, teens are smoking much fewer cigarettes than ever before, and alcohol use is at its lowest level in 15 years. Let’s just hope they aren’t substituting it with marijuana and synthetic drugs.
