Teens using less alcohol, tobacco and more marijuana, e-cigarettes in Hampshire County: survey

MassLive 17 October 2017
Family First Comment: Still want to soften the laws on marijuana? Of course not. Just look at the social experiment in US gone wrong.
“Massachusetts voters’ 2016 Election vote to legalize marijuana for people over 21 likely contributed to the survey’s result showing fewer teenagers perceiving the drug to be a serious risk. Additionally, fewer of the surveyed teens felt their parents strongly opposed the drug, either…. studies of youthful marijuana users indicates the younger one begins regularly using the drug, the higher the likelihood of later struggles with addiction and anxiety and depression disorders.”
Marijuana and e-cigarette usage among some Western Massachusetts teenagers appear to be on the up while fewer smoke tobacco, drink alcohol and use other drugs, according to a recent survey.
About 31 percent of 16- to 18-year-olds surveyed reported using marijuana in the past month, up four percent over 2016, the 2017 Massachusetts Prevention Needs Assessment Survey says.
The survey also showed kids, for the first time ever, reporting being exposed to marijuana advertising, and trying other forms of marijuana consumption, such as edibles, dabs and vapor pens.
Meanwhile, the survey reported a modest dip of several percentage points in the use of alcohol among the same age groups.
In 2017, 28 and 48 percent of surveyed 16- and 18-year-olds, respectively, reported using alcohol in the past 30 days, versus 31.5 and 50.5 in 2015 and 35 and 51.3 in 2013.
The percentages using other drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, sedatives, tranquilizers and other narcotics — always in the low single-digits in previous surveys — also fell across the board in the 2017 survey.
Massachusetts voters’ 2016 Election vote to legalize marijuana for people over 21 likely contributed to the survey’s result showing fewer teenagers perceiving the drug to be a serious risk. Additionally, fewer of the surveyed teens felt their parents strongly opposed the drug, either.
READ MORE: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/10/survey_hampshire_county_teens.html