prepare for Youth Use to go Up
Click icon above for usage levels in each state by age group
Number 1 marijuana user group per-capita = 18-25 (22%)
Number 2 marijuana user group per-capita = 12-17 (7%)
Number 3 marijuana user group per-capita = 26+ (6%)
Some people think, “kids use pot, because it’s forbidden.” Sure some kids are motivated by this as well as “because you told me ‘no,’ I will do everything in my power to defy you.” However, these motivations do not drive population-level increases in drug use.
Again “access” and “perception of harm” are the types of trends that drive population-level increases in drug use. “Visibility” increased by advertising and promotion encourage substantial use as well. These three environmental changes are found in all states that legalize and we see increasing youth use in state-level data.
Notice the per-capital numbers under the icon to the left and click on that icon to see the most resent usage data by state from The National Study on Drug Use and Health. This is an important study. It is directed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has been conducted since 1971.
