SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — One in 15 high school seniors are regular marijuana users. That’s according to the Monitoring the Future study out of the National Institutes of Health. This matches last year’s record high in the study’s 35 year history.
The perceived risk of smoking marijuana also dropped sharply. Eleanor Berch-Heyman, Youth Residential Program Director at Phoenix House, a drug and rehabilitation program, said the more that teens see other teens using marijuana, the safer they think it is.
“They look to their peers in terms of assessing risk,” Berch-Heyman. “That adds to it being perceived as normal instead of a risky behavior.”.
Berch-Heyman says legalizing medical marijuana in some states could also make marijuana seem more normal. As far as curbing use, she says it’s starts with understanding teens anywhere are at risk.
“People that have a lot of resources, a lot of family support and a lot of family stability to individuals with a lot of family disruption to individuals who don’t have economic privilege, substance use and dependence, and it becoming a problem that’s really derailing somebody’s life, really knows no boundaries like that,” said Berch-Heyman
Some positive trends found in the study include a drop in cigarette smoking continued among all surveyed grades, 8th, 10th and 12th. Alcohol use mostly showed declines or remained the same as 2011.
Fantastic. Less of them will be around to collect Social Security and Medicare.
lonnnnnnnng overdue.
That’s because the movie “Refer Madness” is required viewing in all Jr. High Schools. LMAO!
so now we are reporting on what people think about things and not the facts? so now 500 more teens will read this and think hey maybe i should try it… how about reporting on the actual effects of pot and not what teens think the effects are its called responsible journalism
Everyone should concentrate on the prescription pill problem that truly is a gateway drug to heroin. Oh wait, pharmaceutical company’s dump money into Washington so that will never happen.
Lol at Jim the actual effects of pot.. Yeah Wggb no one knows those without your assistance
Duh! the media is so stupid!!! Liberals are making it legal so why would they not??? Great reporting
The Feds need to crack down on the states that have legalized marijuana.
I’m a die hard gun lovin republican….. Now explain why I support it being 100% legal… It doesn’t matter your political stance… What does matter is the people who continue to lie about it….
Ya because its the Feds that make the rules not the people………………………………………………………………………………………..
Remember government knows what’s best for you and your family. For some reason when you go to Washington you get really really smart.
Pot is bad for you? I say PROVE IT.
Pot is bad for you just like caffeine is!!
But caffeine IS bad for you when you overdo it. I woke up from surgery once and a nurse told me I had an extra heartbeat from too much caffeine ( 4+ liters of Coca-Cola per day)