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Teen drug use on the rise

After a decade of a decline in teen drug use, substance abuse among teenagers is on the rise again, according to a report issued by the Partnership at Drugfree.org.

According to the report, the use of marijuana and ecstasy, in particular, has becoming more popular among teens in the last three years.

Between 2008 and 2010, teens who reported having used marijuana in the past year increased from 32 to 39 percent, the study found. The number of teens who reported using ecstasy in the past year rose 67 percent as the number of teens using ecstasy went from 6 to 10 percent.

Not only are these drugs being abused more, attitudes towards alcohol have become more relaxed as well, according to the study.

Of the 2,500 high school students surveyed, 45 percent said they do not see a great risk in drinking heavily on a daily basis, while 31 percent strongly disapproved of their peers getting drunk.

Sean Clarkin, the director of strategy for the Partnership at Drugfree.org, said the increase in drug use is due to multiple factors, such as the economy and the media as well as a way to deal with stress, in a Reuters article.

Clarkin said that the economy and increased financial burdens on many families may add to that stress. He also cited the normalization of drug use by social media as a contributor to drug use among teens.

Elizabeth Douglas, the coordinator of the alcohol and drug programs at Student Health Services, said that more students are using drugs and alcohol to deal with stress resulting in an increase in drug abuse.

“Alcohol is the number one drug used on college campuses and marijuana is number two. There are a small percentage of students who use other substances, but this tends to be a very small number,” Douglas said in an email.

Douglas cited a Healthy Minds survey conducted in the spring of 2010 in which 1,452 Boston University students were asked about substance abuse.

Twenty-one percent reported using marijuana within the last 30 days while only 1 percent reported using ecstasy in the last month. As for alcohol, most of the students surveyed reported having between zero and six drinks on a typical weekend night.

Alcohol is the most widely used substance on campus said Jeneczka Roman, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

“I definitely see more people drink, but the drug use is pretty common too. Especially marijuana,” Roman said.

Other students agreed that marijuana is the most popular drug on campus.

“Marijuana is the most common drug, but people use other drugs like ecstasy too,” said Jessica Gallagher, a SAR sophomore.

As for the economy causing the increase in drug use, several BU students disagreed with the report.

“People just like to use drugs. It’s fun to them,” said Hannah Walthall, SAR sophomore.  “I don’t think the economy is the reason for increased drug use.”

 

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