High Schoolers More Likely to Smoke Pot than Cigarettes

Young people are often thought to be the most “at-risk” age range for drug abuse and alcohol addiction, and to a degree that is true. Every generational group of youths has a different weakness when it comes to drug and alcohol abuse, and the current youth seems to have a penchant for marijuana use. In fact, one recent study indicated that young people between the ages of twelve and twenty are more likely to smoke marijuana than they are to smoke cigarettes.

When we hear a statistic like that, granted it is a little surprising and maybe even a little hard to believe. In reality, though, people who are in their teens now feel that marijuana is a better alternative, a better choice, and more of a guarantee of a “good time” than smoking cigarettes are.

For the first time in recorded history, more U.S. high schoolers are now smoking marijuana on a regular basis than high schoolers who smoke cigarettes on a regular basis. For most of the 2000s, the percentage of American youth who smoked marijuana maintained a five percent prevalence statistic. With cigarettes, on the other hand, most of the 2000s saw teens smoking cigarettes at about a six percent prevalence statistic. In the last three years that statistic has flipped to six percent marijuana users and five percent cigarette users.

Why Are Teens Smoking More Weed than Cigarettes?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse conducted a survey and research project at the University of Michigan to explore teen substance use trends. A minority of experts believe that the use of marijuana has not increased amongst teens. Most believe that it has increased. The use of cigarettes amongst teens has definitely decreased.

We can hypothesize as to why more teens are smoking marijuana now than those who smoke cigarettes. The main reason is that teens do not perceive marijuana to be harmful like they used to, whereas they do perceive cigarettes to be harmful.

As marijuana has gained legal acceptance and increased prevalence across the U.S., more Americans are partaking in marijuana simply because it is acceptable for them to do so. Furthermore, marijuana is being used as a cure for certain ailments in twenty-nine U.S. states that have legalized medical cannabis. Cigarettes are not considered a cure for anything.

Nine states have now legalized marijuana for recreational use in addition to medicinal use. Because more states legalize marijuana every year and certain doctors actually prescribe the stuff, teens see all of this occurring and deduce that marijuana is less risky than cigarettes are.

Another factor is the lies that teens have been told about marijuana. One of the worst things anyone can do to a teen is to lie to them about anything. For years and for multiple generations of teens, young people have been told that marijuana is this terrible drug and that it’s life-threatening and that it is as bad as heroin and whatnot.

Teens have been fed false information about marijuana rather than the truth about the drug, and the result has been that teens actually rebel and abuse marijuana more. This is the tendency of teens. They abuse marijuana in the rebellious way that is indicative of their age.

Why Teens Should Not Abuse Marijuana

There are several, legitimate, evidence-based reasons why teens should not partake in marijuana. For one thing, it is a gateway drug and can incite further drug use later on in life. For another, it lowers morale and motivation, reduces intelligence, lowers performance in school and on tests, and stunts creativity. It is far more trouble than it is worth, except in very limited medical settings, and even those uses are sometimes contested.

Sources:

• https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015-12-16/high-school-seniors-now-more-likely-to-smoke-pot-than-cigarettes-survey
• https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/marijuana
• https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/smoking-weed-could-cost-teens_n_6063600.html
• http://www.gakkomom.com/blog/4-reasons-teens-shouldnt-smoke-marijuana