9% of Teens Smoke Pot Hundreds of Times a Year

Up from 5% of teens who used pot 20+ times a month in 2008
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 2, 2012 9:01 AM CDT
9% of Teens Smoke Pot Hundreds of Times a Year
More teens are smoking pot, a new survey finds.   (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Teens' use of hard drugs like cocaine and meth has stabilized recently, but more are smoking marijuana—and more frequently. A new report finds that 9% teens smoked pot 20 or more times per month in 2011, up from 5% in 2008. "Parents are talking about cocaine and heroin, things that scare them," says the president of The Partnership at Drugfree.org, which ran the survey. "Parents are not talking about prescription drugs and marijuana," and though use of the former is slowing, it still remains high.

More from the AP:

  • Of those surveyed, 27% had used pot in the past month, compared to just 19% in 2008.
  • Those who smoked marijuana regularly were also much more likely to use ecstasy, cocaine, or crack.
  • One in 10 teens said they had used prescription pain pills in the past year, down from a 2009 peak of 15%.
The report echoes findings from another recent study. (More marijuana stories.)

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