Cigarettes Losing Popularity: Marijuana, the Preferred Choice for the Teens

The federal reports suggest that the teenage high school goers smoked pot regularly in comparison to the cigarettes, a survey commenced since the year 1975. This is the first time that the reports showed an increase in daily marijuana consumption outshining cigarettes.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project blog, the latest 'Monitoring the Future' survey released by the federal government of teen drug use results do not bode well for current policies. Around 20.6% high school seniors report smoking marijuana in the past 30 days than 20.1% who smoked cigarettes. The marijuana use is up (albeit in the same general range it's been in for several years) while teen cigarette smoking continues to decline, and has dropped markedly since the early '90s.

Actually, the whole idea of the use of marijuana has changed for the teens. Very few students feel that pot usage on a daily basis is harmful. Last year's report suggests that nearly 36% high school seniors feel regular marijuana use is not at all dangerous, compared to 32% who felt otherwise.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health Director, Dr. Nora D. Volkow, "The sense that marijuana has medicinal purposes and that doctors are prescribing it creates a sense that this drug cannot be so harmful," reported in the Time news. Volkow is surprised that the 2014 marijuana use rates are constant till now and there has been hardly any increase as of yet.

The legalization of the use of marijuana led many teenagers to think that the usage rate will see a steep high curve this year than the last years increase rate. The use of the pot among high school students remained stagnant, without a decline in the rate.

The eighth and tenth graders were also surveyed. The Weed News Global report suggests that the usage of marijuana, and prescribed opioids and heroin use have become extraordinarily common in America. It is frightening the specialists to a great extent.

The e-cigarettes have replaced cigarettes to a certain extent, but the proof of chemical compounds in it might be venomous to the body. Still, the eighth to twelfth graders are finding marijuana increasingly safe. Both cigarettes and e-cigarettes have no positive response from the high school users in recent times and thus, the rate of usage has reduced by 55% in last 5 years.

According to the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is no management to supervise the manufacturing process of the merchandise; the quality of the product is highly under the scanner. There must be a space and thorough investigation to assess the probable dangers and effects of the use.