Teens and Drugs

Drug Use and Adolescents

More young people are using drugs to temporarily alleviate the stress they experience in their lives. Ten percent of Pennsylvania 7th graders have used marijuana, according to a recent study, and middle school students’ use of marijuana has doubled since 1991. According to the 2001 Middle School Research Initiative commissioned by Drug Free Pennsylvania, one out of four middle-school students in Pennsylvania think there is no danger associated with using drugs.

Young people who use marijuana regularly, with or without other illicit drugs, have higher rates of skipping school, fighting, delinquency, arrests, and health problems than their counterparts. Adolescents age 12 to 17 who use marijuana weekly are nine times more likely than non-users to experiment with illegal drugs or alcohol, five times more likely to steal, and nearly four times more likely to engage in violence, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.