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Marijuana use among teens has declined over the past decade, but new research shows that girls are now using it more than boys.
A recent study by researchers from Florida Atlantic University, published in Pediatric Reports, shows that despite concerns that state-level marijuana legalization in the U.S. might lead to increased use among teens, usage is actually decreasing. However, the study also notes that girls are now surpassing boys in marijuana consumption.
The study analyzes marijuana use trends among U.S. teens from 2011 to 2021, using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high school students in grades 9 through 12.
What The Study Reveals
Overall, it included a total sample of 88,183 U.S. high school students who provided self-reports on their marijuana use.
During this time, reported marijuana use among teens showed a significant decline.
The proportion of teens who had ever tried marijuana decreased from 39.9% in 2011 to 27.8% in 2021, and the percentage of students who reported using marijuana in the past 30 days dropped from 23.1% to 15.8%.
Likewise, there was a reduction in the percentage of students who first used marijuana before the age of 13.
These declines show that fewer teens are using marijuana, which is a positive development, the authors of this study argue, given the problems associated with the use of marijuana during this developmental period.
The study established that marijuana use trends varied with demographic aspects such as race, grade level, and gender.
Among racial groups, Black teens reported the highest marijuana use, while Asian teens reported the lowest.
“This finding aligns with previous research indicating that minority groups, particularly Black adolescents, may perceive lower risks associated with marijuana use, which could contribute to higher usage rates,” the study reads.
The rate of marijuana use increased with each grade level, reaching its highest rate among 12th graders.
“While we found a net decline in the percentage of marijuana use among students between 2011 and 2021 for all grade levels, there was consistently higher usage for older grades throughout all years, especially among 12th graders,” the authors note.
The most notable trend is that by 2021, girls were more likely than boys to use marijuana, reversing the earlier trend in 2011 when boys were more frequent users.
“This change is consistent with earlier reports suggesting a narrowing of the gender gap in substance use,” the study says. Researchers believe that the increase in marijuana use among girls could be attributed to evolving social dynamics, including more integrated friend groups in which girls may have greater exposure to marijuana offers from male peers.
The researchers noted that despite an overall decline in marijuana use among teens, certain groups—particularly older teens and Black teens—continue to have relatively high usage rates.
That is why they suggest that culturally tailored interventions, along with prevention in schools and families, may maintain this decline as well as address the specific disparities between these groups.
Specifically, the authors of this study pointed out that there is a need for continued public health efforts to decrease the use of marijuana among teens, especially now that marijuana is becoming more accepted through its legalization. For the researchers, more availability could mean teens will have greater access to marijuana and perhaps more accepting perceptions about its safety.
Limitations of this study
As the author of this research notes, their findings have several limitations.
First, it is based on self-reporting and may bring biases such as social desirability and errors in recall, which might decrease the accuracy of the reported use of marijuana. Additionally, the cross-sectional design of the study will not allow one to infer causation from the observed trends and contributing factors.
The study also does not include information on critical contextual details, such as the frequency and potency of marijuana use, nor does it account for variations in state marijuana legalization that may differentially influence teen behaviors across regions.
While the sample is nationally representative at that level, the experiences of teens not in traditional school settings may not generalize.
Finally, this study does not take into account other confounding influences such as socioeconomic status and peer effects—an indication that the research on teen marijuana use should be done by using longitudinal studies to understand their trends.
Marijuana Use Trends Among Teens
This study reflects a trend where, despite the decrease in use over the last 10 years, marijuana remains popular among teens.
This seems true also among young adults, as confirmed by a 2022 Gallup report that found that teens are less interested in cigarettes, opting instead for vaping or marijuana. Cigarette smoking among young adults dropped from 35% to 12% over the past two decades, while marijuana use has more than doubled, with 26% reporting use between 2019 and 2022, up from 17% in 2013-2015.
Marijuana vaping among teens has also surged. A 2021 study revealed that lifetime use doubled from 6.1% between 2013 and 2016 to 13.6% between 2019 and 2020. In that study, researchers attributed this rise to easy access to vaping devices, appealing flavors, and social media promotion.
Lastly, teens are also turning to less regulated marijuana alternatives, such as delta-8 THC products, with a recent study showing that 11.4% of high school students reported using these in the past year.
“}]] Marijuana use among teens has declined over the past decade, but new research shows that girls are now using it more than boys. Read More