Marijuana Use & Perceptions of Risk
There’s a connection between use of marijuana by young people and their perceptions of how risky that use may be.
According to data from 2002 to 2007, youth age 12 to 17 who perceived great risk from smoking marijuana once a month were much less likely to have used marijuana in the past month than those who perceived moderate to no risk (1.4 versus 9.5 percent).
These and other findings are presented in Marijuana Use and Perceived Risk of Use among Adolescents: 2002 to 2007, a recent report from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
In general, the prevalence of past-month marijuana use among adolescents decreased from 2002 (8.2 percent) to 2005 (6.8 percent), and then remained constant between 2005 and 2007.
The percentage of adolescents who perceived great risk from smoking marijuana once a month increased between 2002 (32.4 percent) and 2003 (34.9 percent), and then remained relatively stable between 2003 and 2007.
Females were more likely to perceive great risk than were males (36.7 versus 32.4 percent). The percentage of adolescents who perceived great risk decreased with age, from 42.1 percent of those age 12 or 13 to 35.1 percent of those age 14 or 15 and 26.9 percent of those age 16 or 17.
For more details, read Marijuana Use and Perceived Risk of Use among Adolescents: 2002 to 2007.
Manuals Guide Teen Marijuana Use Treatment, May/June 2004
Marijuana: Age at First Use Has Impact, May/June 2005
Guidelines Released on Marijuana Counseling, January/February 2006
Boulder, Boston Areas Report Most Marijuana Use, July/August 2005