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March 9, 2007 |
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In 2005, 6.8 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 (1.7 million persons) used marijuana in the past month. Marijuana use increased with age (Figure 1) and was more likely among males than females in this age group (7.5 vs. 6.2 percent). American Indian or Alaska Native youths were more likely to have used marijuana in the past month than youths in other racial categories, and Asian youths were less likely to have used marijuana than those in other racial categories (Table 1). Rates of past month marijuana use were similar for different regions and county types.
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Type | Aged 12 or 13 |
Aged 14 or 15 |
Aged 16 or 17 |
---|---|---|---|
Marijuana | 0.9 | 5.9 | 13.6 |
Blunts | 0.3 | 2.7 | 7.6 |
Source: SAMHSA, 2005 NSDUH. |
Race/Ethnicity | Marijuana Use | Blunt Use | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Percent | SE** | Percent | SE | |
White | 7.2 | 0.27 | 3.5 | 0.18 |
Black | 7.2 | 0.61 | 4.5 | 0.47 |
American Indian or Alaska Native |
14.9 | 3.45 | 3.9 | 1.30 |
Asian | 1.5 | 0.51 | 1.1 | 0.46 |
Two or More Races | 6.8 | 1.19 | 4.9 | 1.02 |
Hispanic | 6.3 | 0.64 | 3.4 | 0.45 |
Source: SAMHSA, 2005 NSDUH. |
Past month use of marijuana was related to academic characteristics. Among youths aged 12 to 17 who were enrolled in school in the past year, those with higher grade averages were less likely to have used marijuana in the past month than those with lower grade averages (Figure 2). For example, 17.9 percent of students with a past semester grade average of D or lower used marijuana in the past month compared with 3.1 percent of students with an A average. Among youths aged 12 to 17 who were full-time students during the month before the survey, those who skipped school were almost 4 times as likely as those who did not skip school to have used marijuana in the past month (17.6 vs. 4.7 percent).
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Past Month Use | A Average | B Average | C Average | D Average or Lower |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marijuana | 3.1 | 6.4 | 10.0 | 17.9 |
Blunts | 1.4 | 3.1 | 5.2 | 10.9 |
Source: SAMHSA, 2005 NSDUH. |
In 2005, among all youths aged 12 to 17, 3.5 percent (891,000 persons) had used blunts in the past month. As with marijuana use, past month blunt use was more likely among males than females (4.2 vs. 2.9 percent) and increased with age (Figure 1). Asian youths were less likely to have used blunts in the past month than youths in other racial categories (Table 1). Youths in the Northeast (5.0 percent) were more likely to have used blunts in the past month than those in the South (3.4 percent), Midwest (3.3 percent), and the West (2.9 percent). Youths in non-metropolitan areas were less likely to have used blunts in the past month than those in large and small metropolitan areas (2.4 percent vs. 3.9 and 3.5 percent, respectively).
Past month blunt use also was related to academic characteristics. Among youths aged 12 to 17 who were enrolled in school in the past year, those with higher grade averages were less likely to have used blunts in the past month than those with lower grade averages (Figure 2). Students with a past semester grade average of D or lower were 8 times as likely as students with an A average to have used blunts in the past month (10.9 vs. 1.4 percent). Among youths aged 12 to 17 who were full-time students during the month before the survey, those who skipped school were over 4 times as likely as those who did not skip school to have used blunts in the past month (9.8 vs. 2.3 percent).
In 2005, approximately half (52.0 percent) of past month marijuana users aged 12 to 17 also used blunts in the past month. Males aged 12 to 17 who used marijuana in the past month were more likely than their female counterparts to have used blunts in the past month (55.6 vs. 47.5 percent). Among past month marijuana users aged 12 to 17, those in the Northeast were more likely to have used blunts in the past month than those in the Midwest and West (62.5 vs. 48.3 and 43.1 percent), and those in the South were more likely to have used blunts than those in the West (54.4 vs. 43.1 percent) (Figure 3). Although rates of past month marijuana use among youths were similar by county type, adolescent marijuana users in non-metropolitan areas were less likely to use blunts than their counterparts in small and large metropolitan areas (37.7 percent vs. 51.0 and 56.7 percent, respectively). Among past month marijuana users, rates of past month blunt use were similar across academic characteristics.
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Region | Percentage |
---|---|
Northeast | 62.5 |
South | 54.4 |
Midwest | 48.3 |
West | 43.1 |
Source: SAMHSA, 2005 NSDUH. |
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Prior to 2002, this survey was called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The 2005 data used in this report are based on information obtained from 22,534 youths aged 12 to 17. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence. The NSDUH Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.) Information on NSDUH used in compiling data for this report is available in the following publication: Office of Applied Studies. (2006). Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 06-4194, NSDUH Series H-30). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Also available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Because of improvements and modifications to the 2002 NSDUH, estimates from the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 surveys should not be compared with estimates from the 2001 or earlier versions of the survey to examine changes over time. |
This page was last updated on July 11, 2008. |
SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States. ![]()
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