Study: Child Marijuana Use Soared 245% in Last 20 Years
According to a study from the Oregon Health and Science University that analyzed over 330k reports from the National Poison Data System, US child and teen marijuana use increased by 245% between 2000 and 2020. The study covered all substances, but marijuana saw the largest increase.
Facts
- According to a study from the Oregon Health and Science University that analyzed over 330k reports from the National Poison Data System, US child and teen marijuana use increased by 245% between 2000 and 2020. The study covered all substances, but marijuana saw the largest increase.
- Coinciding with a steady decline in teen drinking, the research published in the journal Clinical Toxicology showed the increase was for children aged six to 18, with 80% of all reported cases being in teens aged 13 to 18, and 58.3% in males.
- Cannabis cases rose 25% between 2010 and 2017 before jumping 40% between 2017 and 2020, with the study's lead author noting that it coincided with recreational marijuana legalization in Michigan, Illinois, Arizona, and 10 other states.
- Out of the 338k cases involving all drugs, 7% of reports to poison centers were due to marijuana, with yearly weed cases jumping from 510 in 2000 to 1,761 in 2020 (245%). Weed use also overtook alcohol in 2014, with edible weed products accounting for the highest increase in calls to poison centers over the entire study.
- Though marijuana saw the highest increase in abuse reports, household products and pharmaceuticals are still the most commonly misused. Cold and cough medicine Dextromethorphan accounted for the most youth drug abuse cases between 2001 and 2016.
- Youth marijuana use carries the risk of symptoms such as episodes of psychosis, memory problems, worsened mood, and trouble in school.
Sources: Abc, Independent, Time, Daily Mail, and News Nation Now.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by NY Post. Just as the anti-marijuana legalization movement warned us, as more states legalize the substance and normalize its culture, more young Americans get caught in the crossfire. Weed can absolutely be addicting, and rates of such addictive behavior have been on the rise, hindering two decades of declines in cigarette smoking. As children face rising rates of depression, substances like marijuana only worsen the epidemic.
- Narrative B, as provided by Marijuana Moment. This study doesn't mean that youth marijuana use is on the rise due to the legalization of marijuana. Many other studies this year — specifically focused on marijuana use in states that have legalized recreational weed — have shown no increase, which should put an end to the blame game against marijuana legalization.
