According to a study, more teenage girls smoke marijuana than boys

Marijuana use among teenagers has declined significantly over the past decade, according to a a new study published this month in the scientific journal Pediatric Reports. The news comes after teenage vaping hit a 10-year low this year.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine also found that teenage girls now outnumber boys in reporting marijuana use. In 2021, girls reported higher rates of marijuana use (17.8%) than boys (13.6%), according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This is a big shift from 2011, when boys were more likely to use marijuana (25.9%) compared to girls (20.1%).

The researchers found that the percentage of teens who reported using marijuana fell to 15.8% in 2021 from 23% in 2011, with marijuana use highest among 12th graders at 22.4%.

“While we saw an overall decline from 2011 to 2021 across all grades, older students consistently reported higher levels of use, especially 12th graders. This suggests that as adolescents progress through high school, they may have greater access to marijuana under the influence of more developed peer networks and greater independence,” said Panayota Kitsantas, one of the study’s authors in press release. “This trend highlights the need for targeted interventions aimed at older adolescents who are at greater risk of regular marijuana use.”

The study also found that the percentage of teens who reported trying marijuana for the first time before age 13 dropped to 4.9 percent in 2021, down from 8 percent in 2021.

Earlier this year, the results of the National Youth Survey on Tobacco Use showed that tobacco use among teenagers is also decreasing. teen vaping has hit a 10-year low.

About 1.63 million, or 6 percent, of middle and high school students said they currently use e-cigarettes, down nearly 2 percent from 2.13 million last year.

This is the lowest level in a decade and well below the peak of 20% in 2019.

The conclusions are derived from the latest results National Youth Smoking Surveyannual online school survey of US middle and high school students, conducted from January to May of this year.

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