National report shows decreasing teenage use of alcohol, cigarettes

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Thursday that a new report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse showing increasing youth consumption of marijuana should be a cause of concern for Coloradans.
According to the 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey, teen marijuana use has increased, most notably among 10th and 12th graders. Among 12th graders, 36.4 percent of those surveyed reported that they had used marijuana at least once within the previous year, up from 34.8 percent in 2010. The 10th graders surveyed also reported a similar increase in use with 28.8 percent of those surveyed reported that they had used marijuana at least once within the previous year, up from 27.5 percent in 2010.
These results tracked parallel to both 10th and 12th graders reporting a lower perception of risk associated with marijuana use. Both demographics reported less perception of risk associated with using marijuana once or twice, smoking marijuana occasionally and smoking marijuana regularly. There is a clear relationship between teenage marijuana use and teens' perception of risk. As the perception of risk of the drug decreases, marijuana use increases.
"These trends are especially concerning given the research on the effects of marijuana use on the teenage brain," Suthers said. "The increasing accessibility and acceptability of marijuana for teenagers in Colorado should be of concern to all of us."