Drug Use and Possible Negative Consequences
Among those Age 12 to 17

"Random student drug testing allows us to use the knowledge that we have that substance abuse is a disease of the brain and to apply public health measures such as screening and testing that have been used to reduce other diseases in our society."

-- U.S. Drug Czar John P. Walters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 3, 2004

Seriously, if you have to test their pee to find them -- then how big of a "problem" can this really be?

When considering the issues of "kids" and drug use, it is wise to bear in mind that even though the statistics break out at the 12-17 year old demographic, the vast majority of these "kids" are actually 15 or older. Let's face it: if they are driving cars, we can't call them children. While no one advocates unlimited drug use by adolescents, pretending that they can be prevented from using drugs is a large part of our nation's drug "problem." Indeed, despite all the flat out baloney these kids are fed about drugs, it's amazing that more of them don't run into difficulties over drug use. As school drug testing becomes the norm, it should surprise no one to see that the kids start using drugs that are less detectable than marijuana -- that is hardly a good thing. Indeed, it's a very bad thing and it needs to be stopped. Seriously, if you want to "protect the children" get rid of the school drug testing programs, and better yet, make marijuana legal.

In reality, adolescence is the time when most people start using intoxicants. The way forward is two-fold: tell the truth, and acknowledge that adolescents need to learn how to face intoxicant use safely. Considering that the hazards of drug use are greatly amplified under our current system of prohibiton, we should all be quite thankful that the "damages" from drug mis-use among adolescents are as low as they actually are. Indeed, the primary risk they face from drug use is one they share with the adults: simply getting caught.


Sources:

National Survey on Drug Use and Health
FBI Uniform Crime Reports
Treatment Episode Data Sets
Drug Abuse Warning Network

Possible Drug Use Consequences Among Those Aged 12 to 17
  Past Year Users (any illicit) Drug Law Arrests (under 18) Drug Rehab AdmissionsDrug Epsiodes
Year Pop. 12-17 Number % of 12-17 Number % of Past Year Users Number % of Past Year Users Number % of Past Year Users
1991 20,145,000 2,638,995 13.1 78,100 3.0 -- -- 47,494 1.8
1992 20,684,000 2,151,136 10.4 85,700 4.0 95,017 4.4 46,822 2.2
1993 21,224,000 2,525,656 11.9 108,500 4.3 95,271 3.8 50,039 2.0
1994 21,773,000 3,374,815 15.5 158,600 4.7 109,123 3.2 60,293 1.8
1995 22,208,000 3,997,440 18.0 190,400 4.8 122,910 3.1 60,714 1.5
1996 22,512,000 3,759,504 16.7 211,100 5.6 129,859 3.4 63,811 1.7
1997 22,547,000 4,238,836 18.8 213,200 5.0 131,194 3.1 61,429 1.4
1998 22,740,000 3,729,360 16.4 198,500 5.3 139,129 3.7 58,922 1.6
1999 23,203,000 4,594,194 19.8 192,000 4.2 137,783 2.9 52,625 1.1
2000 23,368,000 4,346,448 18.6 203,900 4.7 138,660 3.1 63,436 1.5
2001 23,133,000 5,045,562 21.8 203,124 4.0 146,012 2.8 61,691 1.2
2002 24,754,000 5,494,000 22.2 186,196 3.4 156,367 2.8 62,792 1.1

Bottom Lines:
  • Not that many 12 to 17 year olds use "illegal" drugs
  • Some get caught and arrested -- but less than 5 percent of them
  • Some get sent to drug rehab -- but only around 3 percent of them
  • Some visit an emergency room -- but only around 1 percent of them

Focus on Marijuana

"The marijuana available to today’s children is far more potent than what many of their parents smoked and, as is the case with nicotine cigarettes, we have accumulated considerable additional evidence of the dangers of its use. While marijuana use is leveling off, the drug’s increased potency appears to be sending more teens into treatment facilities and emergency rooms."

-- Non-Medical Marijuana II: Rite of Passage or Russian Roulette? The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, Apr 2004, p2

Focus on Marijuana Use & Possible Consequences Among 12 to 17 Year Olds
  Past Year UsersDrug Rehab For MarijuanaMarijuana Mentions
Year Pop. 12-17 Number % of 12-17 Number % of Past Year Users Number % of Past Year Users
1991 20,145,000 1,712,325 8.5 -- -- 2,130 0.1
1992 20,684,000 1,427,196 6.9 21,899 1.5 3,104 0.2
1993 21,224,000 1,804,040 8.5 30,742 1.7 4,247 0.2
1994 21,773,000 2,482,122 11.4 46,572 1.9 6,539 0.3
1995 22,208,000 3,153,536 14.2 63,403 2.0 7,972 0.3
1996 22,512,000 2,926,560 13.0 72,601 2.5 9,980 0.3
1997 22,547,000 3,562,426 15.8 74,639 2.1 11,057 0.3
1998 22,740,000 3,206,340 14.1 81,650 2.5 13,137 0.4
1999 23,203,000 3,294,826 14.2 82,797 2.5 12,730 0.4
2000 23,368,000 3,131,312 13.4 85,888 2.7 15,678 0.5
2001 23,133,000 3,516,216 15.2 91,022 2.5 16,516 0.5
2002 24,754,000 3,911,132 15.8 98,499 2.5 18,845 0.5

Bottom Lines:
  • The number of past year marijuana users among 12 to 17 year olds is most certainly not leveling off
  • 97.5 percent of past year marijuana users are not sent to rehab
  • 99.5 percent of past year users of today's modern "super weed" manage to avoid going to the hospital because of it
  • 13 times as many young people show up at hospitals for basketball injuries than for marijuana use

What the hell is so "dangerous" about marijuana?

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