New research indicates that teens are smoking pot more than they are smoking cigarettes.  The results of the research conducted by the Monitoring the Future Survey offer a mixed bag of implications, as while cigarette smoking is extremely harmful to a person’s health, marijuana is not without its share of negative health effects - including many that are similar to those produced by tobacco.

Adolescents and Marijuana

The study was conducted over the last year and involved 46,000 teenage participants.  Participants were asked to anonymously provide details about their illicit drug use- especially that of marijuana- over the past year and over the most recent 30 days.  Researchers from the Monitoring the Future Survey were surprised to find that a higher percentage of 12^th grade seniors were smoking marijuana than were using tobacco.  Researchers have indicated that this is a new but growing trend in American teens.

Data from the questionnaires established that on average, 20% of 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders had used marijuana within the last 30 days.  These rates rose significantly during 2010, with 21.4% of high school seniors admitting to regularly using marijuana, versus only 19.2% who reported smoking cigarettes.  However, some have pointed out that the data is skewed, as some of the teens who reported smoking cigarettes had also smoked marijuana.

Cigarette and marijuana use combined has led many to speculate that marijuana is potentially a gateway drug - a less addictive drug that can lead to abuse of more dangerous drugs like cocaine, meth, and crack.  While this was not a major part of the study, it did lead to some confusion over the data, as the use by teens of all other types of drugs remained on the decline.

Still, marijuana is clearly the most widely used drug by teens.  Many teens have reported that smoking marijuana heightens a person’s senses and provides a feeling of relaxed and peaceful contemplation.  Other teens report feelings of anxiety, paranoia, giddiness, delusions of grandeur, and numerous other negative side effects.  Of the millions of teens that report using the drug, many suffer from dependence and addiction.

Each year, approximately 100,000 teens are admitted to addiction treatment centers nationwide for marijuana dependence and addiction.  Often, teens report that they are unable to stop using the drug despite significant negative consequences, such as relationship issues, declining academic performance, trouble with the law, and other problems.  Teens admitted for marijuana addiction treatment often report similar symptoms to those withdrawing from harder drugs.

Of all the teens that are admitted each year for marijuana addiction treatment, 56% indicated that their first use of the drug was at age 14, and 26% stated their use of the drug began at age 12 or earlier.  This is an especially important detail in the study, because research has shown that the earlier a teen begins using marijuana, the more likely it is that they will become addicted to it or another drug later in life.  In fact, of the millions of teen marijuana smokers, nearly one third of them admitted to using the drug at least 20 days out of the last 30.

Teens who seek treatment for marijuana addiction and dependence are often experiencing severe social and academic issues.  Previous studies have indicated that teen marijuana addicts are far more likely to be underdeveloped emotionally, vocationally, academically, socially, and even physically.  Other studies have pointed out that both cigarette smoking and pot use can inhibit physical, mental, and emotional growth.  This is especially important to note, as teens that are underdeveloped in any way are more likely to be socially outcast, prompting them to seek further refuge in drugs and alcohol.

Many academics and scientists have stated that the switch from cigarettes to marijuana by teens is likely a result of greatly increased public discourse about the medical value of marijuana, and the general perception that marijuana is a relatively safe drug with many benefits and few harmful side effects.  In addition to this, teens report that they have used marijuana as a coping mechanism, to treat physical and emotional pain, as a social “sharing” activity, and to escape from their daily lives.

Whatever the reasons for marijuana use, there are clearly negative and harmful side effects that teens should consider.  These include lack of coordination, memory loss, dizziness, bloodshot eyes, hunger, anxiety and paranoia, and an inability to control food cravings.  Long term use can lead to physical dependence, more significant memory problems, loss of motivation and ambition, depression, and the use of other more harmful drugs.  Numerous studies have also concluded that long term marijuana use can lead to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases similar to those caused by tobacco, decreased sperm count and sexual virility, and the premature aging of skin.

While the Monitoring the Future Survey did conclude that teens are now favoring pot more than cigarettes, it does not indicate that teens are in any more danger as a result.  In fact, the decline of teen use of other types of drugs seems to indicate otherwise.  Nevertheless, there are significant concerns to be addressed concerning teen marijuana use.  Of these, the impairment of a teen’s ability to drive is probably the most pressing.

Marijuana use causes teens to have slower reaction times, poor depth perception, an inability to focus for extended periods of time, and overall impaired judgment.  When a teen is behind the wheel of a vehicle, this can be extremely dangerous.  Statistics are not very well defined, but usually indicate that of the thousands of motor vehicle accidents in the US, somewhere between 4-14% of those involved drivers who tested positive for marijuana at the scene- including drivers between the ages of 15-19.

The trend in teens to take up marijuana over cigarettes should be addressed with greater vigilance and proper education.  Teens that are suspected of or admit to marijuana dependence can be successfully treated at one of thousands of professional treatment centers across the country.  In the meantime, more studies will be required to continue to monitor this trend in our nation’s youth.