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White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Fact Sheet
Among 8th graders in the U.S., Hispanics tend to have the highest rates of past-year drug use.1
Every day more than 4,700 kids under age 18 try marijuana for the first time.2
More than 157,000 kids enter treatment each year for marijuana and other illicit drugs.3
More kids enter drug treatment for marijuana dependency than for all other illicit drugs combined.4 More than three out of five (63.1 percent) teens in drug treatment are dependent on marijuana.5
Twelve percent of youth marijuana admissions involve Hispanics. Among all Hispanic youth admissions, marijuana was the primary substance of abuse 48 percent of the time.6
Approximately 272,000 Hispanics ages 12–17 smoke marijuana at least once a month.7
Marijuana remains a pervasive and persistent presence in the lives of American teens. In a 2003 survey of 1,987 teens aged 12 to 17, 34 percent reported that marijuana was the easiest substance to buy (compared with cigarettes and beer), up from 27 percent in 1999.8
Teens are at higher risk for addiction than adults. Teens who had tried marijuana in school were eight times more likely to be using marijuana at 35 than those who hadn't tried it by graduation.9
The earlier kids try marijuana the more likely they are to become addicted to drugs later in life. A study shows that the highest prevalence of marijuana dependence was found among those in the youngest group of age (14 or younger) of first marijuana use.10 Among past year marijuana users, one-fifth of those initiating marijuana before age 15 were classified with illicit drug dependence or abuse in the past year compared with approximately one-tenth of those initiating marijuana after age 15.11
In addition to harmful effects on health, teen marijuana use is also associated with emotional, behavioral and academic problems. Marijuana abusers are four times more likely to report symptoms of depression, and have more suicidal thoughts than those who never used the drug.12 The percentages of youths engaging in delinquent behaviors rose with increasing frequency of marijuana use.13 THC changes the way sensory information gets into and is processed by the part of the brain that is crucial for learning and memory.14 Research shows that youth with an average grade of "D" or below are more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as youth who reported an average grade of "A."15
Early action from friends, parents, or loved-ones of teens who have started using drugs could help a teen stop before treatment is needed. When youth aged 12 to 17 were asked whom they would talk to about a serious problem related to substance abuse, 68 percent reported they would turn to a friend or sibling, 64 percent to their mother, 45 percent to another adult (grandparents, aunt, uncle), and 41 percent to their father.16 Approximately two-thirds of Hispanic teens see great risk of upsetting their parents and more than half see great risk of losing the respect of family and friends if they smoke marijuana.17
Hispanics place great emphasis on family. In fact, more Hispanics (89 percent) than whites (67 percent) and African Americans (68 percent) agree that relatives are more important than friends.18
Hispanics are the youngest, largest, and fastest growing ethnic population in the United States.19 With more than 38.8 million current residents, Hispanics accounted for half of the population increase of 6.9 million in the United States since April 1, 2000.20
References:
1 Monitoring the Future, NIDA, 2003
2 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, SAMHSA, 2003
3 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS): 2002 [Online: http://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/quicklink/US02.htm]
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 Drug and Alcohol Services Information System, The DASIS Report, "Youth Marijuana Admissions by Race and Ethnicity," August 9, 2002
7 SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002 and 2003
8 The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VIII: Teens and Parents, August 2003 http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/2003_Teen_Survey_8_19_03.pdf
9 Merline, A.C., O'Malley, P.M., Schulenburg, J.E., Bachman, J.G., & Johnston, L.D. (2004). Substance Use Among Adults 35 Years of Age: Prevalence, Adulthood Predictors, and Impact of Adolescent Substance Use. American Journal of Public Health, 94(1), 96–102
10 Initiation of Marijuana Use: Trends, Patterns, and Implications, Chapter 6: Early Marijuana Use and Later Drug Use Patterns, SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, 2000
11 Ibid
12 Bovasso, G. "Cannabis Abuse as a Risk Factor for Depressive Symptoms," American Journal of Psychiatry, 2001, 158:2033–2037
13 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002), SAMHSA, The NSDUH Report: "Marijuana Use and Delinquent Behaviors Among Youths," January 9, 2004
14 NIDA, Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, November 1998; Pope, H.G. et al, "The Residual Cognitive Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use in College Students," Journal of the American Medical Association, 1996 Vol. 275, No.7
15 Marijuana Use Among Youths, The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Report, July 19, 2002
16 The NHSDA Report: Youths' Choice of Consultant for Serious Problems as related to Substance Use, Feb 2003
17 Partnership for a Drug-Free America [PDFA], Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, Teens 2002
18 2002 National Survey of Latinos, Pew Hispanic Center, p.56
19 "Hispanic Population Reaches All-Time High of 38.8 Million, New Census Bureau Estimates Show, "U.S. Department of Commerce, June 18, 2003. www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2003/cb03-100.html
20 Ibid
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