Study: Teen Use of Alcohol, Pot Climbing
Alcohol and marijuana use among teens is on the rise, ending a decade-long decline, a study being released Tuesday found.
"I'm a little worried that we may be seeing the leading edge of a trend here," said Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which was releasing the study. "Historically, you do see the increase in recreational drugs before you see increases in some of the harder drugs."
The annual survey found the number of teens in grades 9 through 12 who reported drinking alcohol in the last month rose 11 percent last year, with 39 percent — about 6.5 million teens — reporting alcohol use. That's up from 35 percent, or about 5.8 million teens, in 2008.
For pot, 25 percent of teens reported smoking marijuana in the last month, up from 19 percent.
CBSNews.com Special Report: Marijuana Nation
Until last year, those measures for pot and alcohol use had been on a steady decline since 1998, when use hovered around 50 percent of teens for alcohol and 27 percent for pot.
The study also found use of the party drug Ecstasy on the rise. Six percent of teens surveyed said they used Ecstasy in the past month, compared with 4 percent in 2008.
Meanwhile, a separate study in Australia found a possible link between long-term marijuana use and increased risk of hallucinations, delusions and other psychoses among young people.
According to the findings, published Monday in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, those who reported smoking marijuana for six or more years were twice as likely to develop a psychosis, such as schizophrenia, and four times as likely to get high scores in clinical tests of delusion.
If parents suspect their teen is using, they need to act quickly, Clarkin said. Monitor them more closely, talk with them about drugs, set rules and consult outside help, like a counselor, doctor, clergy or other resource, he said.
The researchers asked teens how they felt about doing drugs or friends who did them. The study found a higher percentage of teens than in the previous year agreed that being high feels good; more teens reported having friends who usually get high at parties; and fewer teens said they wouldn't want to hang around kids who smoked pot.
Stacy Laskin, now 21 and a senior in college, said marijuana was everywhere during her high school years. Laskin said she tried pot and drank alcohol in high school, but didn't make it a habit like other kids she knew.
"The behavior I saw people go through — and to see how far people can fall — really turned me away more than anything else," Laskin said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Her close friend from high school died in 2008 from a heroin overdose. Laskin, a psychology major at Salisbury University in Maryland, was so torn by her friend Jeremy's death that she decided to help others and is working on her second internship at a drug treatment center.
"Just seeing the negative impact made me want to get involved," she said.
Other findings:
• Teen abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough medicine remained stable from 2008 to 2009. About 1 in 7 teens reported abusing a prescription pain reliever in the past year; and about 8 percent of the teens questioned reported over-the-counter cough medicine abuse in the past year.
• Teen steroid and heroin use remained low at 5 percent for lifetime use.
The Partnership's "attitude tracking" study was sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Researchers surveyed 3,287 teens in grades 9 through 12. Data were collected from questionnaires that teens filled out anonymously from March to June 2009. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
The New York-based Partnership is a nonprofit group working to reduce the use of illicit drugs.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "I'm a little worried that we may be seeing the leading edge of a trend here," said Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which was releasing the study. "Historically, you do see the increase in recreational drugs before you see increases in some of the harder drugs."
The annual survey found the number of teens in grades 9 through 12 who reported drinking alcohol in the last month rose 11 percent last year, with 39 percent — about 6.5 million teens — reporting alcohol use. That's up from 35 percent, or about 5.8 million teens, in 2008.
For pot, 25 percent of teens reported smoking marijuana in the last month, up from 19 percent.
CBSNews.com Special Report: Marijuana Nation
Until last year, those measures for pot and alcohol use had been on a steady decline since 1998, when use hovered around 50 percent of teens for alcohol and 27 percent for pot.
The study also found use of the party drug Ecstasy on the rise. Six percent of teens surveyed said they used Ecstasy in the past month, compared with 4 percent in 2008.
Meanwhile, a separate study in Australia found a possible link between long-term marijuana use and increased risk of hallucinations, delusions and other psychoses among young people.
According to the findings, published Monday in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, those who reported smoking marijuana for six or more years were twice as likely to develop a psychosis, such as schizophrenia, and four times as likely to get high scores in clinical tests of delusion.
If parents suspect their teen is using, they need to act quickly, Clarkin said. Monitor them more closely, talk with them about drugs, set rules and consult outside help, like a counselor, doctor, clergy or other resource, he said.
The researchers asked teens how they felt about doing drugs or friends who did them. The study found a higher percentage of teens than in the previous year agreed that being high feels good; more teens reported having friends who usually get high at parties; and fewer teens said they wouldn't want to hang around kids who smoked pot.
Stacy Laskin, now 21 and a senior in college, said marijuana was everywhere during her high school years. Laskin said she tried pot and drank alcohol in high school, but didn't make it a habit like other kids she knew.
"The behavior I saw people go through — and to see how far people can fall — really turned me away more than anything else," Laskin said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Her close friend from high school died in 2008 from a heroin overdose. Laskin, a psychology major at Salisbury University in Maryland, was so torn by her friend Jeremy's death that she decided to help others and is working on her second internship at a drug treatment center.
"Just seeing the negative impact made me want to get involved," she said.
Other findings:
• Teen abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough medicine remained stable from 2008 to 2009. About 1 in 7 teens reported abusing a prescription pain reliever in the past year; and about 8 percent of the teens questioned reported over-the-counter cough medicine abuse in the past year.
• Teen steroid and heroin use remained low at 5 percent for lifetime use.
The Partnership's "attitude tracking" study was sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Researchers surveyed 3,287 teens in grades 9 through 12. Data were collected from questionnaires that teens filled out anonymously from March to June 2009. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
The New York-based Partnership is a nonprofit group working to reduce the use of illicit drugs.
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What adults do is fine. MJ should be legalized the same as hard booze, cigarettes.
The control of hemp is the progressives control of the economy mj use cannot physically harm you but hemp has 25-50 thousand uses 35 nillion acres will meet our country's energy needs Ask a businessman how many jobs would be created in 1-2 years when hemp is legal If you believe our government is working for us you are selling your children to their lies
Americans' Priorities are Up-Side-Down! Stop blaming the Government because in a Democracy, the Government is WE THE PEOPLE.
Next, some States will consider Legalizing Cocaine to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand more Tax Cuts.
Later, some States will consider Legalizing Heroin to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand even more Tax Cuts.
Finally, some States will consider Legalizing Prostitution to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand the ultimate Tax Cut of 0.0 rate.
In the meantime, Americans prefer to Spend Disposable income on iPhone, iPod, Nexus, HDTV, iPad and other 'Made in China' electronic gadgets and toys instead of paying a Special Temporary Federal Tax to pay down only our Foreign Debt so our Descendants can sleep better. Did I say 'tax increase'? Oh man! that is a very dirty evil word in America.
I guess Americans hate Sacrifice.
Next, some States will consider Legalizing Cocaine to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand more Tax Cuts.
Later, some States will consider Legalizing Heroin to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand even more Tax Cuts.
Finally, some States will consider Legalizing Prostitution to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand the ultimate Tax Cut of 0.0 rate.
So, come-on, Cut taxes more....
Next, some States will consider Legalizing Cocaine to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand more Tax Cuts.
Later, some States will consider Legalizing Heroin to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand even more Tax Cuts.
Finally, some States will consider Legalizing Prostitution to increase Tax Revenues if American Taxpayers demand the ultimate Tax Cut of 0.0 rate.
So, come-on, Cut taxes more....
Its probably a good thing they're getting stoned... makes it hard to be angry about things out of your control.
PUBLISHED SEPT 4, 2001.
nytimes.com/2001/09/04/international/04GERM.html ?pagewanted=all
"The projects, which have not been previously disclosed, were begun under President Clinton and have been embraced by the Bush administration, which intends to expand them.
Earlier this year, administration officials said, the Pentagon drew up plans to engineer genetically a potentially more potent variant of the bacterium that causes anthrax, a deadly disease ideal for germ warfare."
"A published account of the experiment, which appeared in a scientific journal in late 1997, alarmed the Pentagon, which had just decided to require that American soldiers be vaccinated against anthrax. American officials tried to obtain a sample from Russia through a scientific exchange program to see whether the Russians had really created such a hybrid. The Americans also wanted to test whether the microbe could defeat the American vaccine, which is different from that used by Russia.
Despite repeated promises, the bacteria were never provided.
Eventually the C.I.A. drew up plans to replicate the strain, but intelligence officials said the agency hesitated because there was no specific report that an adversary was attempting to turn the superbug into a weapon.
This year, officials said, the project was taken over by the Pentagon's intelligence arm, the Defense Intelligence Agency. Pentagon lawyers reviewed the proposal and said it complied with the treaty. Officials said the research would be part of Project Jefferson, yet another government effort to track the dangers posed by germ weapons.
A spokesman for Defense Intelligence, Lt. Cmdr. James Brooks, declined comment. Asked about the precautions at Battelle, which is to create the enhanced anthrax, Commander Brooks said security was "entirely suitable for all work already conducted and planned for Project Jefferson."