Teen marijuana use may be decreasing nationwide as more states legalize the drug for both medical and recreational use, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan and the National Institutes on Drug Abuse.
For the study the researchers took a poll of 40,000 8th-graders, 10th-graders and 12th-graders asking them to report on their use of marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes. Monthly cigarette use was down 35 percent since the 1990s and alcohol use was down 55 percent. Marijuana use, though more static since the 1990s was also down significantly.
"Both alcohol and cigarette use in 2014 are at their lowest points since the study began in 1975. With marijuana use appearing to level off, and rates of many other drugs decreasing, it is possible that prevention efforts are having an effect," the researchers said in their study report.
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