cannabisnews.com: Household Survey Indicate Slight Decline In MJ Use





Household Survey Indicate Slight Decline In MJ Use
Posted by FoM on August 20, 1999 at 11:24:59 PT
NORML's Weekly Update News
Source: NORML
Aug. 19, 1999, Washington, DC: Teenage marijuana use dropped slightly last year according to the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
The annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, estimates 8.3 percent of youths age 12-17 currently use marijuana, a 1.1 percent decline from 1997. The percentage of 12-17 year-olds who smoked marijuana within the last 12 months dropped from 15.8 percent in 1997 to 14.1 percent in 1998.  A third of all people questioned reported they have smoked marijuana at least once in their life.   The percentage of the population (12 years and older) who smoked marijuana in 1998 showed a slight drop from 9 percent in 1997 to 8.6 percent. Current use (defined as having smoked within the last month) dropped by a tenth of a percentage point to 5 percent. The only age group to show an increase in marijuana use was the 18-25 years old group whose percentage rose from 22.3 percent to 24.1 percent. Marijuana use fell from 11.2 percent to 9.7 percent in the 26-34 years old group, and from 4.4 percent to 4.1 percent in the 35 years and older group.   "The numbers in this survey indicate there is no adolescent marijuana crisis," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director. "Despite exaggerated warnings from the drug czar and others, marijuana use rates in this country remain constant."  For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of NORML Foundation   (202) 483-8751. The survey can be viewed at:http://www.samhsa.govhttp://www.norml.org/news/index.shtml#story1Teen Drug Use Drops After 1990s Rise - 8/18/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2537.shtml
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