Illicit drug use (defined as use at least once in the past month) among adolescents age 12 to 17 rose 33 percent since last year and now stands at 10.9 percent, reports the latest annual findings from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. The use of marijuana, the illicit drug used primarily by adolescents, increased from 7.3 percent to 8.2 percent.
Not surprisingly, both prohibitionists and politicians are using the latest statistics to call for increased anti-drug efforts. “This is nothing short of a national tragedy,” said Republican nominee Bob Dole. “Starting next January, I’m going to make the drug war priority No. 1 once again.”
In light of the recent data, NORML issued the following statement. As always, NORML remains committed to the notion that adolescents grow up drug-free.
“The statistics indicating rising levels of teen marijuana use cited by the National Household Survey should be an issue of concern for both parents and political leaders alike. However, there is no evidence to demonstrate that increasing penalties against adult users will amend the problem. In fact, federal statistics indicate that just the opposite is true.
“Despite criticism that the Clinton administration has abandoned the drug war, FBI figures from its annual Uniform Crime Report illustrate that nearly one-half million Americans were arrested on marijuana charges in 1994 — more than 83 percent of them for simple possession. This inflated figure is a remarkable 42 percent increase over the average yearly total for marijuana arrests under the Bush administration and equates to an arrest every 65 seconds!
“Yet, in spite of this significant increase in the enforcement of drug and marijuana laws, recent studies such as the Household Survey indicate that the use of narcotics and marijuana is rising in popularity — especially among adolescents. Specifically, the fact that the use of marijuana is rapidly growing at the same time that law enforcement officials are arresting record numbers of users clearly confirms that marijuana prohibition does not effectively deter marijuana consumption.
“In addition, it must be noted that today’s rates of adolescent drug use are rather moderate when put in historical perspective. For example, as late as 1988, during the height of the Reagan/Bush ‘Just say ‘no’ campaign,’ the number of adolescents age 12 to 17 who reported using an illicit substance within the past month stood at 9.2 percent, just slightly below today’s so-called ’emergency levels.’ In addition, today’s use rates — despite the recent increase — still remain well below the peak levels recorded in the late i970s and early 1980s.
“We will probably never know why marijuana use-rates go up and down over time. However, it is worth noting that the recent increase occurred among the same population of young people who had been exposed to a decade-long anti-marijuana campaign in the schools and the media. That campaign, based on exaggerations of marijuana’s alleged harms and a ‘Just say no’ ideology has clearly failed.”
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500 to request a copy of N0RML‘s position paper, “Weeding Through the Hype: The Truth About Adolescent Marijuana Use.”