Happy April 20. For the uninitiated, April 20, or “four-twenty” in casual language, is the unofficial holiday of marijuana users. With the drug in the news, let’s use the opportunity to look at data on marijuana in schools.
According to a 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, about one in four high schoolers reported using marijuana in the last 30 days. That’s not much different than the number from 2011, but it is up from roughly one in five high schoolers in 1993.
Of the high schoolers that used marijuana recently, seven in 10 said they used it at least three times in the past 30 days, with two in 10 saying they used it at least 40 times.
There was a gender gap in marijuana use from 1993-2011, when more male than female students said they used marijuana. But in 2013, the division was virtually equal. Still, among the students who use marijuana, males were more likely to use it more often. Males are also more likely to use marijuana on school property.
In terms of race, Asian high schoolers are least likely to use marijuana at 16 percent. Native American students are most likely to use marijuana, coming in at 36 percent. Among other races, 20 percent of white high schoolers, 28 perecnt of Hispanics and 29 percent of black high schoolers reported using marijuana.
The likelihood of using marijuana climbs as students progress through high school: 18 percent in ninth grade, 23 percent in 10th grade, 26 percent in 11th grade and 28 percent in 12th grade.
Utah students are least likely to use marijuana (8 percent), with usage most likely in New Mexico (28 percent). State-level data was not available in eight states. Oklahomans, however, are least likely to use marijuana on school property, with only 2 percent of students saying they had done so.
A 2014 survey from the University of Michigan shows that fewer than 40 percent of high school seniors perceive smoking marijuana regularly as a “great risk.” That’s far lower than the roughly 80 percent who saw it as a “great risk” in 1991.
More 10th graders perceive regular marijuana use as a great risk than high school seniors, and more eighth graders view it as a great risk than 10th graders. The numbers for both, however, have fallen by more than 20 percent since 1991.
The survey also found that marijuana was, by far, the most common drug used by high school seniors. It estimated that 35 percent of 12th graders had used marijuana in the past year, compared to 7 percent who used adderall, the runner-up. Almost 12 percent of eighth graders had used marijuana in the past year, compared to 5 percent who had abused inhalants. Interestingly, fewer 12th graders (2 percent) had abused inhalants than eighth graders.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
