Teen drug use is on the rise

After a decade of declining drug use among US teens, the rates have increased over the last three years, according to a new report from the Partnership at Drugfree.org. Marijuana and ecstacy use among teens has markedly increased, just as attitudes towards alcohol use have relaxed. Between 2008 and 2010, it found, the number of teens who said they’d used marijuana in the past year climbed to 39 per cent from 32 per cent. And between 2008 and 2010, teens who said they used ecstasy in the past year increased to 10 per cent, from six per cent. A total of 68 per cent said they’d had at least one drink in their lifetimes, and the average age for that drink was 14.

Reuters