First Time Users of Marijuana (1965 - 2003)

Trends in Initiation of Marijuana Use (1965 - 2003)

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Table 4.1A Numbers (in Thousands) of Persons Who Initiated Marijuana Use in the United States, Their Mean Age at First Use, and Rates of First Use (Per 1,000 Person-Years of Exposure): 1965-2003, Based on 2002-2004 NSDUHs
YEAR NUMBER OF INITIATES (1,000s) MEAN AGE AGE-SPECIFIC RATES1
All Ages Under 18 18 or Older 12-17 18-25
1965 777 309 468 18.5 14.8 23.5
1966 832 289 543 19.1 13.0 24.9
1967 1,397 530 868 18.8 24.9 37.3
1968 1,980 842 1,139 18.6 38.6 49.2
1969 2,462 1,002 1,461 18.7 46.3 66.1
1970 2,692 1,238 1,454 18.6 57.6 64.3
1971 2,954 1,308 1,646 18.5 59.8 76.3
1972 3,164 1,665 1,500 18.2 77.2 66.1
1973 3,490 1,741 1,749 18.6 80.4 79.3
1974 3,222 1,912 1,311 18.2 90.6 59.5
1975 3,227 1,889 1,339 18.1 91.0 63.2
1976 3,226 1,896 1,331 18.3 94.9 65.1
1977 3,345 1,967 1,378 18.6 100.3 66.4
1978 3,289 1,991 1,298 18.3 104.8 67.1
1979 2,996 1,760 1,236 18.8 95.0 60.6
1980 2,573 1,581 992 18.4 86.0 51.2
1981 2,438 1,440 998 18.3 80.7 56.3
1982 2,323 1,393 930 18.9 77.9 47.1
1983 2,351 1,443 908 18.2 80.6 52.7
1984 2,113 1,324 789 18.1 76.0 44.3
1985 2,165 1,357 808 18.0 77.9 48.0
1986 2,062 1,258 805 17.7 74.2 49.5
1987 1,823 1,113 710 18.0 64.5 44.6
1988 1,702 1,075 627 17.8 64.2 40.1
1989 1,647 971 675 18.1 57.1 40.6
1990 1,482 843 639 18.4 48.1 36.7
1991 1,694 1,031 662 18.0 58.0 39.0
1992 1,920 1,167 753 17.2 64.0 47.2
1993 2,154 1,349 805 17.2 72.9 47.2
1994 2,420 1,568 852 17.0 84.6 52.0
1995 2,635 1,674 961 17.0 88.8 57.8
1996 2,483 1,579 903 17.2 82.9 54.4
1997 2,603 1,716 887 17.1 89.3 54.2
1998 2,498 1,684 814 16.8 85.2 51.3
1999 2,640 1,691 950 17.4 84.8 57.4
2000 2,746 1,834 912 16.9 91.3 56.0
2001 2,793 1,833 960 17.4 90.9 57.1
20022 2,686 1,861 825 17.1 91.1 49.1
20033 2,463 1,655 809 17.0 79.7 46.8
*Low precision; no estimate reported.
-- Not available.
NOTE: Comparisons between years, particularly between recent estimates and those from 10 or more years prior, should be made with caution due to potential bias from reporting and other sources.
1 The numerator of each rate is the number of persons in the age group who initiated use of the drug in the specified year, while the denominator is the person-time exposure of persons in the age group measured in thousands of years.
2 Estimated using 2003 and 2004 data only.
3 Estimated using 2004 data only.
Source: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

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