A new survey of American teens reveals a startlingly new and different picture of marijuana abuse than was was previously realized. This new survey, executed by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, found that ten percent of America’s teens are heavy marijuana users, smoking the addictive drug twenty or more times a month.

But that’s just one feature of the report. This survey also tells us that:

  1. The number of heavy marijuana users has increased 80% since 2008.
  2. Twenty-five percent of teens are smoking marijuana at least once a month.
  3. Only one student in four says that most of their schoolmates do not use marijuana.
  4. The number of students who strongly disapprove of marijuana use has dropped 11% in the last seven years, meaning that marijuana use is much more condoned in teenage peer groups.

Are Parents Paying Attention to this Trend?

The president of The Foundation at Drugfree.org, Steve Pasierb, stated his concern on the foundation’s website that parents may not have much worry that their children are “just smoking a little weed.” It’s also likely that many parents of teenagers smoked marijuana when they were young. But this current survey also makes the dangers of using weed apparent in this further statistic: Teens who are “heavy” marijuana users are 30 times more likely to use cocaine or crack, 20 times more likely to use Ecstasy, and 15 times more likely to abuse prescription painkillers.

What’s more, teens and young adults are going to drug rehab for marijuana addiction by the hundreds of thousands. In 2009, more than 360,000 people went to rehab for marijuana as their primary drug of addiction. Three out of every ten addicts were seventeen or younger, almost half were under twenty-one. Two-thirds were twenty-five or younger, proving the youth of the typical heavy marijuana abuser.

Additionally, an estimated million more young people needed treatment for marijuana addiction but didn’t get it, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Pro-Marijuana Influences on America’s Teens

Movie theaters, television shows, magazines, books, video games all contain drug references. News media carry stories about the legalization of medical marijuana, clearly implying its safety, even for sick people to use. The message to teens is clear: this drug is harmless.

Those who promote the use of marijuana for medical purposes are silent on the subject of the academic deterioration of those who are heavy users, the reduction in ability to concentrate or learn that so often occurs, and the difficulty smokers have in retaining material they have studied. Another common effect of smoking weed that is concealed is the tendency for users to lack normal levels of motivation or interest in achieving goals.

It may also be hard to convey the dangers of marijuana use to teens that walk by medical marijuana dispensaries on the way to school. In Denver, there are fifty-three dispensaries within a thousand feet of a school. In San Diego, the city attorney recently moved to shut down a dozen dispensaries that were within 600 feet of schools.

Achieving Goals and Living a Productive Life is Best Done Sober

Just ask anyone who became addicted. When addiction takes over, one’s dreams and goals take a back seat. Addiction is all about making sure you have a supply of that drug you are addicted to, using it and recovering from using it.

Anyone who has been addicted knows that life is more productive and enjoyable when sober. If you care for someone who has been a heavy user of marijuana or another drug, the Narconon Arrowhead drug and alcohol rehabilitation program can help. As a result of this long-term rehab, seven out of ten graduates remain sober after they go home, one of the best success rates in this field.

Find out how Narconon Arrowhead accomplishes this result by calling 1-800-468-6933 today.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/san-diego-city-attorney-moves-to-shutdown-12-pot-dispensaries-near-schools.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57425725/study-teen-marijuana-use-on-the-rise/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_marijuana#United_States

http://www.substanceabusepolicy.com/content/3/1/8

http://www.butwhataboutthechildren.org