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Marijuana Use Up Among Teens While Abuse of Other Drugs Drop

A recent Federal study found that while marijuana usage among teens isn't as high as the late 1990's it has definitely edged back up. According to the study of 47,097 students, among this year's 12th graders, 20.6 percent said they used it within the past month, compared with 19.4 percent in 2008 and 18.3 percent in 2006. Among 10th graders, pot use in the past month rose to 15.9 percent this year from 13.8 percent in 2008.

Officials blame the rise in use of marijuana to the national debate on medical marijuana. Officials believe that teens are taking the view that the drug is safer because of its medicinal use. "When the perception of the danger goes down, you see an increase in use," said National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow.

Cigarette use patterns showed a continuation of the dramatic drop from a decade ago. In 1997, 19.4 percent of eighth graders reported smoking within a month. That fell to 6.8 percent last year and 6.5 percent this year. The rate for 12th graders dropped from 36.5 percent in 1997 to 20.1 percent this year. There has also been a decrease ub binge drinking from 2004 to 2009.

To read more about this study click here

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