Adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who use marijuana weekly are nine times more likely to use other illegal drugs, six times more likely to run away from home, and five times more likely to steal compared to youth who do not use marijuana. This information is derived from statistics from the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse from the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration.

Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are typically described as "gateway" drugs, the use of which often precedes experimentation with other types of substances. The survey results also suggest that about 42 percent of high school students have tried marijuana.

Locally, results from SANDAG's analysis of the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program reveal that 46 percent of the youth who were booked into juvenile hall and included in a sample group interviewed about their drug use, tested positive for marijuana in 2002.

National studies show that regardless of the strength of the marijuana, the intoxicating chemical it contains has three to five times more tar than cigarettes. In addition, today’s marijuana is even 5 to 25 times stronger than it was just 30 years ago (National Institute on Drug Abuse, June 2003). Nationally, many youth express ignorance regarding the risk of marijuana use. Seventy-two percent (72%) of teens who were polled in the eighth grade believe that marijuana use is more dangerous than tobacco use, but by the twelfth grade just 53 percent of students surveyed believe that marijuana use is more dangerous than tobacco use.

Locally, youth ages 9 to 17 involved in a North County Teen HIV outreach and prevention program expressed a similar lack of awareness about the risks associated with marijuana use. While more than nine out of ten in the program (92%) acknowledged that smoking one or more packages of cigarettes a day is a moderate to great health risk, only about half (55%) felt that way about monthly use of marijuana (SANDAG; July 2003).

What can be done about current attitudes of youth regarding marijuana use? "It is important to inform parents and adults who work with youth that marijuana is not a harmless drug," said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG's Director of Criminal Justice Research. "According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, parents are in the best position to talk to their children about drugs. In fact, parents have been nicknamed 'the Anti-Drug' by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign," Burke added.

For more information about drug abuse awareness and prevention visit www.TheAntiDrug.com, or call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) at (800)788-2800.

Project Manager: Dr. Cynthia Burke
(619) 595-5361