Teens smoke more pot than cigarettes
A salute to the Ron Paul crowd, via the Associated Press:
A government survey shows more teens are now smoking pot than cigarettes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that 23 percent of high school students said they recently smoked marijuana, while 18 percent said they had puffed cigarettes. The survey asked teens about a variety of risky behaviors.
For decades, the number of teens who smoke has been on the decline. Marijuana use has fluctuated, and recently rose. At times, pot and cigarette smoking were about the same level, but last year marked the first time marijuana use was clearly greater.
An earlier survey by the University of Michigan also found that pot smoking was higher. A Michigan expert said teens today apparently see marijuana as less dangerous than cigarettes.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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52 comments Add your comment
splavistic
June 7th, 2012
9:53 pm
Thank god. The stuff those companies put in tobacco is criminal. Weed is typically more pure, unless you buy from people you don’t know.
honested
June 7th, 2012
9:59 pm
A good sign.
Less pulmonary disease and fewer conserrrrrrvatives.
Kris
June 7th, 2012
10:12 pm
My motto has always been Live and Let Live. Smoke em if you got em. If I recall smoking marijuana, was good for you last week or was the week before.
After all we got a dope in the gold dome…probably a deal too.
Cutty
June 7th, 2012
10:38 pm
Pass the dutchie to the left hand side!
peter tosh
June 7th, 2012
11:37 pm
legalize it
Jason
June 7th, 2012
11:37 pm
Pot is easier for a teen to get than cigarettes.
Kris
June 8th, 2012
12:02 am
Cutty ,Peter and Jason
AMEN
Romneyaide
June 8th, 2012
1:29 am
All potheads should be imprisoned, for a very long time. Job creation through prison guards!
Tom E. Gunn
June 8th, 2012
7:33 am
And yet we WASTE millions of tax dollars enforcing laws against and incarcerating users of a substance most people have used or use? In the meantime, while missing the chance to tax and be smart about something we will never change, this allows criminal empires to frow and flourish? Sound familiar? Prohibition round 2.
TBone
June 8th, 2012
7:45 am
I guess when you are stoned to the bone you don’t really make the connection between your buzzz and supporting the Mexican drug cartels who kill people ruthlessly. So all these stoners are accessories to murder? Decriminalize the stuff and allow these “students” to put down their joy sticks and little debby cakes and practice doing something engaging like growing the weed.
sheepdawg
June 8th, 2012
7:52 am
duh, wake up america
Mudfoot
June 8th, 2012
8:26 am
“I guess when you are stoned to the bone you don’t really make the connection between your buzzz and supporting the Mexican drug cartels who kill people ruthlessly. So all these stoners are accessories to murder? Decriminalize the stuff and allow these “students” to put down their joy sticks and little debby cakes and practice doing something engaging like growing the weed”
I guess when your ignorant of the facts then you’re not really liable for spreading untruths. Ever since Nancy Reagan kicked off her “Just Say No” war and smuggling became more of a crime than violence, Americans have turned to growing domestically, which eventually led to much more potent pot being the norm. Yea, mexicans still run drugs to the USA, but it ain’t mainly marijuana (nobody wants that schwag any more).
Students (and lots of other people) are already “growing the weed” right here in the US. The idea of marijuana smokers supporting these cartels is no longer valid. If anything, local growers have (or had) weakened the cartels until cocaine and heroin (which according to our gov’t and judicial system are not nearly as dangerous as marijuana) became the cash cows for these cartels now and have been for decades.
“Accessories to murder” – melodramatic but far from the truth… sounds like politics
td
June 8th, 2012
8:26 am
Yes, all we need to do is to legalize a substance that makes the people of this country more lazy. We are already supporting about 20% of the population because they are already to lazy to work.
You legalize people need to stop talking about pot not hurting anyone. All you have to do is look at someone that has been smoking for twenty years to see a waste of a person.
azazel
June 8th, 2012
8:31 am
cannabis is a wonder drug, or at least, a powerful preventive of some chronic diseases that plague us.
buzzkill
June 8th, 2012
8:37 am
td, sorry to kill your buzz but I personally know lots of productive people, even business owners, chamber of commerce members, that smoke pot. Work their butts off all day and toke a little at night or on the weekends to relax.
Real Athens
June 8th, 2012
8:41 am
“All you have to do is look at someone that has been smoking for twenty years to see a waste of a person.”
A stereotype who relates only to … stereotypes.
What about Ted Turner? Michael Bloomberg? Richard Branson?
td
June 8th, 2012
8:44 am
buzzkill
June 8th, 2012
8:37 am
And how old are these people? I know a lot of people that we energetic, hard working and very smart and smoked in their 20’s and 30’s. By the time they were in their mid to late 40’s they started looking like Willie Nelson.
td
June 8th, 2012
8:52 am
Real Athens
June 8th, 2012
8:41 am
Really? Have you ever seen interviews with all those older rockers? Ozzy, Mick or Willie that have admitted to smoking are a very regular basis?
I have never heard your three examples talk about being regular smokers.
TBone
June 8th, 2012
8:55 am
@ Mudfoot … Last time I bothered looking, research suggests that some 2/3 of the stuff these kids are smoking comes from, you guessed it, Mexico. So I doubt it’s the Cheach and Chong stoners running this crop into the country. Pot is still BIG business for the cartel and they are not known for the philanthropic altruism.
justsayno
June 8th, 2012
8:59 am
Enter your comments here
buzzkill
June 8th, 2012
9:11 am
td why don’t you grow up and see beyond appearances. You seem to be fixated on how people look. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
td
June 8th, 2012
9:15 am
buzzkill
June 8th, 2012
9:11 am
Look means how they act. Bad choice of words.
When you grow up and watch some of your high school friends waste there lives away when they are in their 40’s then come back and talk to me. I am guessing you are young and do not have that life experience to have seen what drugs and alcohol can do to people over the long term.
zeke
June 8th, 2012
9:19 am
td, were you ever a bit progressive? or did your social worker experience) change your views? by the way, you speak very proudly in past about your better half’s accomplishments and well you should. what is her opinion on lilly ledbetter issue and yours? why do conservs oppose it really, not the strawman lawyer stuff. i think you have some good points on occasion and just color me curious. thanks
WOW
June 8th, 2012
9:20 am
@TD
When you grow up and watch some of your high school friends waste there lives away when they are in their 40’s then come back and talk to me. I am guessing you are young and do not have that life experience to have seen what drugs and alcohol can do to people over the long term.ter your comments here
Fair statement, TD, but what about personal responsiblity? Should the government dictate whether or not these people get to waste their lives? You normally are for people having more freedom, not less?
clyde
June 8th, 2012
9:26 am
Another milestone has bee reached.Whoopee Ding.
How many more generations until everyone is on drugs?
parent
June 8th, 2012
9:30 am
From what all my high schooler has told me, this is absolutely no surprise. The anti-smoking campaign has filtered down to teens, but the dangers of smoking pot have not in the least. There is no national campaign to calmly lay out what medical information there is about the ramifications of pot smoking; if memory serves it does not lead to the same rate of lung cancer (different chemicals), but does correlate (sp) to a much higher rate of head and neck cancers (such as the guy from the Beastie Boys who just died of cancer in the saliva gland). Does anyone calmly talk about this? Nope… Nor does anyone talk about that smoking tobacco raises your chances of bladder cancer (something has to filter the toxins from the bloodstream); life’s no fun when you’re 60 and have your bladder removal surgery go wrong.
td
June 8th, 2012
9:32 am
WOW
June 8th, 2012
9:20 am
“Fair statement, TD, but what about personal responsiblity? Should the government dictate whether or not these people get to waste their lives? You normally are for people having more freedom, not less?”
The libertarian in me says you should be able to waste your lives but then you ask who has to pay for the results of people wasting their lives? Who will become responsible for the children of the people that want to waste their lives? Freedom is not free without responsibility. We as a nation have decided that we will not make people suffer the consequences of their actions and we will pick up the pieces when they make poor decisions. Drugs are not legal now and we support about 20% of the population. How much more of the population can we afford to support? The fiscal conservative wins the battle over the libertarian as long as we the people will not allow people to pay for their own mistakes.
yuzeyurbrane
June 8th, 2012
9:33 am
Someone pass td a j; he needs to lighten up a bit.
Real Athens
June 8th, 2012
9:38 am
Stereotypes, again. Mick Jagger controls a business empire that is greater than the GNP of a lot of countries. The Stones are self-managed. Ozzy? His brain is pickled by ALCOHOL. Willie? Talented but never the brightest bulb in the chandelier — a lifetime of bad business decisions.
Because you haven’t heard of the people I listed touting their marijuana use it hasn’t happened. HA! It probably wasn’t broadcasted on Fox.
As far as people who smoke pot not working I’ll give you another: Slap a criminal conviction (scarlet letter) on a young kid for smoking a weed (while others drink distilled beverages with no penalty) and see how it upsets their ability to get a job throughout their life.
http://coedmagazine.com/2009/02/06/the-10-most-successful-potheads-on-the-planet-cool-enough-to-admit-it/
http://coedmagazine.com/2011/02/02/the-10-smartest-pot-smokers-on-the-planet-cool-enough-to-admit-it/
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t smoke pot. Tried it, not for me. However, I do have a serious problem with our hypocritical drug laws: Pot bad; booze, nicotine and all pharmaceuticals good.
Do you consider your youth wasted? Obviously you didn’t retain anything regarding use, conjugation, spelling or grammar from your 12 years of English classes.
Jeff
June 8th, 2012
9:41 am
Mr. Galloway
Gary Johnson – the Libertarian *nominee* – has been MUCH more of a leader on this issue than Ron Paul ever has. GaryJohnson2012.com
Real Athens
June 8th, 2012
9:43 am
td
Drugs are legal. Booze and nicotine kill and maim more people in the US than all other drugs combined — driving up health care costs, creating a culture of people who don’t or can’t work. Remember railing against Medicare yesterday and caring for the old and infirm with your tax dollars?
Legal pharmaceuticals now account for the highest rate of illicit drug use in the country.
Connect the dots, dude.
td
June 8th, 2012
9:46 am
zeke
June 8th, 2012
9:19 am
td, were you ever a bit progressive?
Progressive, in the terms of the current movement, probably not very much but more of a libertarian (would probably been a Ron Paul supporter if he was running in my youth). I did think my generation was smarter and could save the world if we all just worked hard enough.
Me being a social worker opened my eyes up a lot. When you see what happens to children when their parents care more about themselves (drugs and alcohol) then they do about their children it kind of changes you outlook. When you see what generational welfare does to peoples souls it changes your mind. When you look into the eyes of a person that is dependent on the government and see the pure hopelessness then your stomach just turns.
As far as lilly ledbetter: On a fundamental matter all people should be protected the same and there should be no laws that set up special classes of people. This does nothing but help lawyers take money and hurts business and sets up class vs class. If there is discrimination against an individual then sue on that alone.
PMC
June 8th, 2012
9:46 am
breathing in smoke of any kind is obviously bad for ones respiratory system.
PMC
June 8th, 2012
9:52 am
The numbers don’t really suprise me at all, I wish we would focus more on treating addicts and sponsoring effects of smoking anything campaigns and spend far less than we are now failing to keep people from smoking pot.
Decriminalize it completely and start trying to reduce the demand.
Real Athens
June 8th, 2012
9:52 am
td
Social Worker? Could it be you were/are a state employee? You are a part of the State deferred compensation benefit plan? State Health benefits? Pension?
Sacre bleu!
zeke
June 8th, 2012
9:57 am
td thanks for your answers but if wage discrimination is as abudant as some claim and the victim does not have deep pockets, well how do you address the inequitities sufficiently? businesses will draw it out, intimidate, lay off, etc……i am not interested in lawyers making tons of money, but don’t see your solution or any proposed by repubs that truly addresses the issue. no need to repond.
WOW
June 8th, 2012
10:27 am
TD
Your points address hard core drugs. We are talking about Pot, which is at best no worse for you than alcohol and its legal. I don’t think any logical person wants to legalize (at least I hope not) something like methamphetamines.
Shar
June 8th, 2012
10:46 am
I am not, and never was, one to smoke pot – too much intense social pressure to do so for me to do anything but rebel by not getting high. Apparently I missed all the fun.
However, I never saw any but the most confirmed pot heads make themselves unable to function in other areas of life, which is more than I can say for people who drink too much. Pot is also much easier to step away from than alcohol or nicotine, if and when the user decides to do so. There is no rationale for keeping alcohol and nicotine legal when pot is not – it is merely a leftover prejudice of our legislators, who are a generation removed from those who smoke pot so freely.
Legalization would answer many of td’s objections to spending tax money on hopeless pot heads, as the same strategy of taxation to inhibit demand would no doubt be put in place. It would also standardize the ‘dosage’ of cannabis per joint, and would guard against the health consequences of damaging additives or pesticides that are often used by drug dealers. Very importantly, it would indeed cut a key source of cartel profits, regardless of whether the drug is physically imported from Mexico or is grown by cartel members in hidden spots on public lands, where they shoot “trespassers” such as passing hikers or investigating rangers.
If people are free to use alcohol and nicotine, which are both more addictive and more damaging to health than marijuana, no young kid should have to have a permanent blot on his or her record for using pot. It is long overdue for decriminalization.
MrLiberty
June 8th, 2012
11:44 am
Jeff – Seriously?? Ron Paul has publically opposed all drug laws his entire career (way longer than Gary Johnson’s). He is also in favor of ending ALL drug laws, not just those on marijuana. Mr. Johnson has publically only come out in favor of loosening marijuana laws and continues to support the general war on drugs. Further, while he had the opportunity as governor of New Mexico, Mr. Johnson did not parden ONE non-violent marijuana or drug law offender. He did not introduce any legislation to legalize one single thing in the state.
I certainly applaud every libertarian direction Mr. Johnson goes in, but please don’t confuse someone who supports true liberty and freedom (Dr. Paul) with someone who believes in a bit more freedom but goes along to get along (Mr. Johnson).
GaBlue
June 8th, 2012
11:46 am
td’s comments on the subject illuminate how limited his sphere of friends must truly be. Bless his heart!
MrLiberty
June 8th, 2012
11:52 am
As a proud Dr. Ron Paul supporter, I don’t know what to make of the opening statement of this piece.
Is the “salute” a backhanded compliment, a dig at Dr. Paul because he favors freedom and many teens are exercising that? Please clarify.
If anything, the study clearly supports the fact that more people will abuse a substance when it is “taboo”, found in a black market, and there is a huge profit incentive for others to “push” it on their friends, etc.
Tobacco on the other hand is significantly regulated,way overtaxed, no longer available in easy to access vending machines, etc. Marijuana on the other hand can probably be obtained easily from 50% of all kids in grade 6 and up and a significant percentage of adults.
Dr. Paul has certainly never endorsed the use of marijuana, nor have his supporters. He has always deferred to the states to regulate as they see fit, but favors freedom over tyrrany in any non-violent act such as marijuana use. As an economist and as a doctor, he knows that economic restrictions create black markets and “questionable” products (like all the horrible pot alternatives that are being created and sold to get around the current laws) that do far more harm than the substance invovled in the prohibition.
LEGALIZE IT
June 8th, 2012
12:01 pm
The band 311 says it best here:
You got a gripe with the way I get high Graffix bong sing along with a cry of a
mandatory sentence for a crime with no victim
when everyone knows jail terms should be picked in
order of the pain that they cause (you know)
do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law
until you violate the rights of another
respect the space of your sister and your brother
the war on drugs may be well intentioned
but it falls f—ing flat when you stop and mention
the over crowded prisons where a rapists gets paroled
to make room for a dude who has sold
a pound of weed to me that’s a crime
here’s to good people doin time y’all
Trolls Bane
June 8th, 2012
12:03 pm
My 2 cents:
1. Legalize pot, it is no worse than cigarettes and far better than Alcohol
2. Harsher penalties for the dealing of the truly dangerous / destructive drugs such as heroin and meth. This should include the death penalty for high-level / habitual dealers / trafficers.
3. Improve access to treatment for addicts of heroin or meth and alcoholics.
Why would I support the death penalty for meth and heroin trafficers? They are dealing in a substance the use of which destroys the lives of the addicts not too mention the lives of the people in the addicts life. In essense, make the penalty fit the crime.
MrLiberty
June 8th, 2012
12:03 pm
PMC – Actually recent studies have shown that marijuana smoking actually improves lung function. It is medicine after all and has been for over 5000 years (among the civilized).
http://www.naturalnews.com/034631_marijuana_smoke_lung_health.html
and other great uses for the plant:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035759_cannabis_juicing_health.html
MrLiberty
June 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
Trolls Bane – everything you say about heroin and meth are true about alcohol.
Every drug should be legalized and we as a society need to start demanding personal responsibility. Far more people die every year as a result of prescription drugs than from heroin or meth, yet we do not impose the death penalty on pharmaceutical companies (not that I would be objectionable to something along THOSE lines).
Either you are willing to understand the nature of the black market and the ill effects cause by it or you are going to let your emotions rule your decision making process.
Trolls Bane
June 8th, 2012
12:11 pm
Alcohol has its own history. The abuse of this “drug” can and has destroyed lives, and not everyone can handle it. The difference is that heroin and meth are extreemly addcitive … just the first hit can turn someone into an addict. A glass of red wine at a fine restaurant, not so much.
td
June 8th, 2012
1:06 pm
Real Athens
June 8th, 2012
9:52 am
td
Social Worker? Could it be you were/are a state employee? You are a part of the State deferred compensation benefit plan? State Health benefits? Pension?
Sacre bleu!
For about 1 1/2 out of college. I am now a business owner.
td
June 8th, 2012
1:10 pm
WOW
June 8th, 2012
10:27 am
TD
Your points address hard core drugs.
No not just hard core drugs. I have seen children neglected and child abuse from pot and alcohol only. I know I am in the way minority because I have seen enough issues with alcohol abuse that I want it made illegal.
Frankie
June 8th, 2012
1:58 pm
first pot, then meth, then cocaine, heroin, all witin a year….
I have seen it too many times…but you can handle it…
rrrrrriiiiiiight, famous last words…
honested
June 8th, 2012
2:41 pm
Another day and I find another subject to which (no surprise) td is an internationally recognized expert with irrefutable credentials.
Such a legend.