Marijuana Making Comeback With Teens

Marijuana is becoming more popular among teens, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said in the "Monitoring the Future" study of the nation's 8th, 10th and 12th graders that was released Monday by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Fewer 8th and 10th graders perceive "great risk" in using marijuana and disapproval of marijuana use is also declining, ONDCP said. Marijuana use among youth has been flat for the past three years after several years of declines.

Other findings:

-- Seven of the 10 most-abused drugs by high school seniors are prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Twenty percent of 12th graders used marijuana within the past month, up from 18.3 percent in 2006.

-- Inhalant use among 10th graders has increased.

-- Teens alcohol use has declined but it's still the most commonly abused substance.

-- Fewer 10th graders see binge drinking as harmful and fewer high school seniors see problems with having one or two drinks daily.

"The 2009 Monitoring the Future study is a warning sign, and the continued erosion in youth attitudes and behavior toward substance abuse should give pause to all parents and policymakers," Kerlikowske said in a statement. "Considering the troublesome data from other national and local surveys, these latest data confirm that we must redouble our efforts to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to preventing and treating drug use."

For more information, see the ONDCP news release here.

In Marshall County, the Anti-Drug Coalition has been seeing some disturbing trends as well. According to the 2008 PRIDE Survey of students, 6th to 8th graders report their first use of alcohol as 11 and marijuana is 12. The survey found that 3.1 percent of Marshall County students said they used marijuana within the past year. Among 9th through 12th graders, 15.6 percent used marijuana within the last year.

For information about Marshall County trends from the 2008 PRIDE Survey, please see here.