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Posted on Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 3:53 p.m.

University of Michigan study on teenagers finds marijuana use on the rise, alcohol use on the decline

By James Dickson

Marijuana use is on the rise among teenagers, ecstasy is making a comeback after a decline last decade, smoking is up among early teens, and alcohol use is at historically low levels for all grades studied, the University of Michigan's annual Monitoring the Future study found.

The results of the study — which tracks smoking, drinking and drug use among 8th, 10th and 12th graders — were announced today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Lloyd Johnston, principal investigator for the survey and a researcher for U-M's Institute for Social Research, presented the findings alongside R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Johnston has been principal investigator of Monitoring the Future since it started in 1975.

If there is anything policymakers or concerned parents should take away from this year's survey, Johnston said, it's the need to pay more attention to teen smoking and to make sure young teens are aware of the dangers of ecstasy.

Teen smoking

Smoking showed small increases for young teens this year.

Rates of daily smoking during the past 30 days are still low: 3 percent, 7 percent, and 11 percent in 8th, 10th and 12th graders, respectively, the release said.

But those rates are higher when you ask students if they've smoked at any time in the last 30 days. Smoking was down among 12th graders (19.2 percent, compared to 20.1 percent last year), but up slightly among 8th (7.1 percent, up from 6.5 percent in 2009) and 10th graders (13.6 percent, up from 13.1 percent).

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Smoking is up among teenagers, a U-M survey found.

File photo

Even so, teen smoking is down from its peak in 1996, when 21 percent of 8th graders, 30 percent of 10th graders and 34 percent of high school seniors had smoked cigarettes within the last month.

Teens do hold smoking in a negative light when considering whom to date. As Johnston explained it, the connection between sex appeal and smoking is different than people might expect. 

"For 40 years, cigarette companies have been telling (people) that smoking makes you sexy," he said, but the evidence tells another story. 

"The great majority of secondary school students said they 'would prefer to date people who don’t smoke'—82 percent, 79 percent, and 73 percent of students in grades 8, 10, and 12," the release said.

"And it’s true for both males and females,” Johnston said.

Drug use

The story with drug use is a bit more complicated and varied, depending on the drug. 

lloyd-johnston.jpg

Lloyd Johnston

Teen use of marijuana has been on the rise for all three grades over the last three years.

“Perhaps the most troublesome part of it is that daily use of marijuana increased significantly in all three grades in 2010,” Johnston said in the release. 

Six percent of high school seniors, or 1 in 16, said they smoke pot every single day. Teens don't tend to perceive a danger in smoking pot.

"Access is pretty universal and hasn't really been the problem for teenagers. The big difference comes in their attitudes toward marijuana," Johnston said.

But if marijuana is perceived as less of a threat because its use is so widespread, ecstasy is perceived as less of a threat because it's been out of the headlines in recent years — especially compared to a decade ago, during what Johnston calls the ecstasy epidemic.

Ignorance of its side effects may explain the increased use, Johnston said. 

"Kids who are in 8th and 10th grade aren't being told why not to use ecstasy," compared to a decade ago when the dangers were made more clear, he said.

Teens who remember neither the ecstasy epidemic of early last decade, nor the public relations effort to address it, don't believe the drug is as dangerous as older teens do. Johnston refers to that as "generational forgetting."

"The drug has an appealing name — who doesn't want to feel ecstasy? That's why it's important to explain the dangers," Johnston said.

Alcohol

There is one category where teen drug use is down across the board: Alcohol. 

Johnston believes that's the best news of the survey — alcohol use continued its 30-year decline among teenagers, and in 2010 hit historically low levels for all three grades surveyed.

"For 12th graders, 2010 marks the lowest level of alcohol use since the study's inception in 1975. For 8th and 10th graders, it marks the lowest point since these grades were first included in the study in 1991," a press release explained.

Johnston attributed the decline to limited access. Hardly anywhere you go sells to anyone who looks younger than 30 without seeing identification first. That, plus potentially costly law enforcement hassles and negative advertising, have dropped alcohol use to levels never seen. 

Only 2.7 percent of high school seniors reported regular daily use. The numbers are 1.1 percent for 10th graders, and down to 0.5 percent for 8th graders.

This marks the the 36th year of the Monitoring the Future study, which started in 1975. Monitoring the Future has always tracked 12th graders, but added 8th and 10th graders to the mix in 1991. 

The survey is conducted by researchers at the Survey Research Center of the U-M Institute for Social Research and is funded by grants from National Institute on Drug Abuse, one of the National Institutes of Health. The survey's grant is renewable every five years, with the latest renewal coming in 2007.

Some 46,000 students at more than 400 public and private middle and high schools across America were surveyed.

The full findings of the 2010 Monitoring the Future survey will be published in book form by the Institute for Social Research in 2011.

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.

Comments

SurlyCommenter

Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 12:22 p.m.

This shouldn't be a debate about the relative merits of alcohol vs. marijuana. Which one is worse or better and why really doesn't matter. We're talking about our CHILDREN using these drugs. When is that ever going to be ideal? Children, who are not adults and are not generally capable of making adult decisions in general, cannot be expected to make adult decisions while under the influence of any kind of drug. It's hard enough to keep teenagers motivated to do the work required to learn how to lead a successful and productive life, both marijuana and alcohol only make that mission more difficult. That's how we should frame this debate.

DonBee

Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 9:31 a.m.

@trs80 - norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7459 says: "[The] role of drugs as a causal factor in traffic crashes involving drug-positive drivers is still not well understood. This is the group pushing to legalize marijuana. They also say further down on the page: The risk of all drug-positive drivers compared to drug-free drivers is similar to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. The risk is also similar to drivers above age 60 compared to younger drivers [around age 35]. Later in the page there are a number of older studies that indicate there is no link to accidents and discussion of newer studies that indicate there is some link. Still later they indicate: "Similarly, clinical testing for cannabis impairment among suspected drugged drivers in Norway has been positively associated with identifying drivers with THC/blood concentrations above 3ng/ml" And they close with... "In addition, the development of cannabis-sensitive technology to rapidly identify the presence of THC in drivers, such as a roadside saliva test, would provide utility to law enforcement in their efforts to better identify intoxicated drivers. The development of such technology would also increase public support for the taxation and regulation of cannabis by helping to assuage concerns that liberalizing marijuana policies could potentially lead to an increase in incidences of drugged driving." I agree we need a test and I also have to agree we don't really know what the effects are. I can also say from first hand experience that teens who have any distraction are more likely to make mistakes when driving. They just don't have the experience. This is my concern, not the legalization of marijuana or the legal use, but rather putting teens at more risk. It does not matter if it is a beer, a cellphone, a cigarette, a burger, a friend or marijuana - they can all distract a young inexperienced driver and the results can be very bad for everyone. Adults are welcome to do anything that does not harm another individual in my mind.

Killroy

Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 8:31 a.m.

Smoke up! Philip Morris & Co. need you to light up and kill yourself slowly.

trs80

Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 1:57 a.m.

Don. 11,773 drunk driving deaths in 2008. Which is 32% of the total accidents reported for 2008. NHTS board has not been able to link MJ to the cause of an auto accident ever. Alcohol, drugs and driving do not mix. This I agree with, however the facts would show your issue to be a non-issue.

ShadowManager

Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 12:02 a.m.

Medical Marijuana legalization has legimitized general-use beyond what it was before. Magically, the teen age use figures go up. It's just like Joe Camel...only with a medical/clinical angle. Think of it this way: if suddenly we found out drinking beer was a good vaccine against cancer, do you think more underage kids would legitimize their illegal drinking of beer with the justification that they were only doing the logical thing and protecting themselves from cancer? You bet they would. All the ads, publicity, grow room billboards (those really REALLY need to get toned down...), the ads in Metro Times and around town with people dressed up as Doctors pushing medmarijuana cards and "cardgiving"...all of this is sending the message to kids that not only is pot harmless, it might actually be good for you. And so it goes...

MI-expatriate

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 11:58 p.m.

Can we just get a like/dislike button after each person's comment? There would be a whole lot more participation in commenting without redundancy. People may not want to weigh in even in "disguise" but they certainly do have opinions, guaranteed, if they bothered to read comments.

DBlaine

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10 p.m.

XMO you're right. Before medical marijuana was allowed, there was no pot smoking in teenagers. Zero. None. I'm also tired of these cancer people saying they're sick just to get kind bud and then hang out behind the high school selling it to kids. Let's put them all in jail!

xmo

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:18 p.m.

Is that Medical Marijuana that the teens are using because that is legal now, if you have a prescription! I did not realize that there were that many sick teenagers. Maybe the next time you progressives vote you should think about the consequences of your actions!

ShadowManager

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:05 p.m.

Maijuana on the rise among teens? Pshaw. How could that be with all these enticing ads, inviting dispensaries, growroom supply stores, and billboards for all the good medical marijuana around? Pshaw, I say, pshaw!

DonBee

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.

@trs80 It may not be listed on the CDC website and it may not be a major killer. What I wonder and you should too is how many teens drive during or after smoking marijuana. Then ask yourself if you want these teens who are the highest risk drivers to add to their risk factors. It is almost impossible for a police officer to test for marijuana use on the spot, but they can for alcohol. I am all for adults having choice. I am also all for throwing the key away when an adult kills someone else. Teens are still learning and this is a lesson I would rather they did not learn personally.

trs80

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:39 p.m.

The best way to put it, try to find a case where someone died from 'dope' inhalation or injestion. CDC listed over 30k Alcohol related deaths in 2009. Mary Jane is not even listed on their website.

MGoMaize

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:32 p.m.

*shakes head @ stunhsif*

stunhsif

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 7:48 p.m.

I am all for legalizing dope but there needs to be a deterent to keep pot heads from driving while high just as there is for anyone that is drunk? Never did like dope, smoked it a couple times when I was young. Made me feel paranoid and out of control. The only good thing I can say about dope is there is no caloric intake during its use, unlike alcohol which is extremely calorie laden, hence the term "beer belly". Dope also makes regular users lazy and stupid, just a personal observation. For me, if I get tested for drug use ( never do but if I did) I would get fired on the spot for testing positive. I for one will stick with legal drug use, a couple Jack and diet Cokes when needed!

Deborah

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 6:28 p.m.

expecting quality reporting from the ashes of the Failed Ann Arbor News is like expecting a phoenix to fly out your arse.

James Dickson

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 5:23 p.m.

@SteveinMI You are correct - the numbers I quoted are for "any daily use." That has been clarified in the article as well.

Steve in MI

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 5:17 p.m.

@author: if you're going to copy and paste from a press release, at least make the effort to get it right. You've conflated the study's description of occasional drinking with its numbers on binge drinking. I know we're not a newspaper any more, but can we please at least act like a news organization?

Steve in MI

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 5:14 p.m.

"Only 2.7 percent of high school seniors surveyed had taken a drink within the last 30 days. The numbers are 1.1 percent for 10th graders, and down to 0.5 percent for 8th graders." Um... the numbers in the actual report don't seem to match the quote from Mr. Dickson's article. http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/10data.html#2010data-drugs http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/10data/fig10_15.pdf

David Briegel

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 5:04 p.m.

So, how's that War On Drugs workin' for ya? Billions and billions down the drain. Millions and millions of lives down the drain. Selective enforcement of our laws. Loss of respect for law enforcement. Especially among our youth. Why should they believe adults about other drugs when we lie to them about pot? Job security for a bunch of failed and even lying bureaucrats. Billions and billions for the failed Prison Industrial Complex. Logic and reason down the drain!! Give the kids credit for giving up alcohol for pot!

Jim

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 4:47 p.m.

Effects from marijuana? Maybe a little short term memory loss after a decade of smoking.

bugjuice

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 4:21 p.m.

What do people expect when adults lie to kids about the effects of marijuana and other things as well.