Marijuana use is a problem during every season of the year. However, during the summer months, when young people have more free and unsupervised time, more teens try marijuana for the first time than any other time of the year. First use of alcohol and cigarettes among teens also jumps during the summer. According to a newly released Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report, Seasonality of Youth's First-Time Use of Marijuana, Cigarettes, or Alcohol:

Summer is the riskiest time of the year when it comes to teens and marijuana.

• First-time youth marijuana use increases significantly during the summer months.¹
• Each day in June and July, over 6,300 youth try marijuana for the first time; that's 40 percent more per day than during the rest of the year.²

Research shows that kids with unsupervised time are more likely to use drugs and alcohol. Higher summer initiation rates are likely due to teens having more unsupervised and unstructured time. In fact, studies have shown that:

• Kids who are not regularly monitored by their parents are four times more likely to use drugs.³
• Teens who report they are "often bored" are 50 percent more likely to smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs than teens who aren't.⁴

Parents can and do make a difference in a teen's decision to stay drug-free. They can help keep kids drug-free by closely supervising their time, knowing who they are with, and setting clear rules.

• Parents of teens with summer jobs still need to know how their teens are spending disposable income, what type of work place setting they are in, and who they are working with.
• Two-thirds of youth ages 13–17 say that upsetting their parents or losing the respect of family and friends is one of the main reasons they don't smoke marijuana or use other drugs.⁵
• Young people who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to try drugs than their peers who don't get drug information from their parents.⁶

In addition to parents, other adults who influence teens, such as camp counselors, coaches, physicians and employers, can and do play a vital role in keeping teens drug-free during the summer. These adults are well-positioned to reach teens with marijuana prevention messages, and just by being role models or mentors they help prevent drug use.

• Many teens engage in summer activities such as camps. Each year, an estimated nine million young people attend a summer day or resident camp program.⁷

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