Marijuana use among college students is at the highest rate it’s been since 1980. According to the 2014 Monitoring the Future Study, 5.9% of college students report daily or near-daily marijuana use. Basically, one in every 17 college students is smoking marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis (defined as use on 20 or more occasions in the prior 30 days). It’s thought that much of the increase is due to the fact that fewer adolescents and young adults see marijuana use as dangerous. Contributing to this is the ongoing legalization of marijuana in more and more states.
“It’s clear that for the past seven or eight years there has been an increase in marijuana use among the nation’s college students,” said Lloyd Johnston, the principal investigator of the study. “And this largely parallels an increase we have been seeing among high school seniors.” In fact, daily marijuana use surpassed daily cigarette smoking among college students for the first time since the study began in 1980.
If you believe you that you or someone you know has a problem with marijuana (or any other drug), call New Bridge Foundation® or your local drug and alcohol treatment center for a free assessment.