Marijuana, methamphetamine and ecstasy use in the United States surged last year, making 2009 the year with the highest drug use increase in nearly a decade, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey released on Thursday.
"This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use," the survey said.
The survey associated the illicit drug use increase with a change in the way people view the risks of taking drugs.
"The level of youth perceiving great risk of harm associated with smoking marijuana once or twice a week dropped from 54.7 percent in 2007 to 49.3 percent in 2009, marking the first time since 2002 that less than half of young people perceived great harm in frequent marijuana use," the survey said.
Gil Kerlikowske, the Director of National Drug Control Policy, blamed the increase on a relaxation of popular views on drugs.
"Today's findings are disappointing, but not surprising, because eroding attitudes and perceptions of harm about drug use over the past two years have served as warning signs for exactly what we see today," he said in the survey.
However, underage drinking rates remained stable in 2009, the survey said.
At Boston University, students said they'd observed different drug-use trends on campus.
"Maybe the drug use has risen because statistic-wise, it's more reported because it's legal now, or whatever, but it's less under table, it's less taboo," said College of General Studies sophomore Jennifer Leighton. "But I think the students are going to do drugs whether or not it's legal."
College of Arts and Sciences freshman Elisabeth Bellissimo said she hadn't seen any drug use on campus.
"I'm a freshman, I've been here for three weeks and I haven't really noticed any drug use or any use of the policy," she said. "I heard the talks at orientation and my RA went over the typical "Don't do it, you'll get kicked out,' but that's basically all I've heard."
CAS junior Elizabeth Pierson and CAS sophomore Amanda Meraxa said they also didn't know much about BU's drug policy.
"As far as the drug policy goes, I know obviously that you're not supposed to do drugs, but I'm not really sure exactly what the policies are beyond that, I know that there are punishments but I've never encountered any of them," Pierson said.
"I know people who've maybe done drugs but they've never done them on campus," Meraxa said. "I don't know anything about the policies. I think students do drugs."
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