What Americans need to know about Marijuana

•Of the 7.1 million Americans suffering from ilegal drug dependence or abuse, 60 percent abuse or are dependent on marijuana.
•Of all youth age 12-17 in drug treatment in 2000, nearly 62 percent had a primary marijuana diagnosis. Approximately half were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system and half through other sources, including self-referral.
•The average age of initiation for marijuana use generally has been getting younger.
•More young people are now in treatment for marijuana dependency than for alcohol or for all other illegal drugs combined.
•Among 10th graders, past-year and past-month use of marijuana or hashish decreased from 2001 to 2002, as did daily use in the past month.
•There has been slow but steady progress toward reduced marijuana use rates among 8th graders. Their past-year marijuana-use rate of 14.6 percent in 2002 is the lowest since 1994, and well below their recent peak of 18.3 percent in 1996.
•At 30.3 percent for past-year marijuana use, 10th graders are at their lowest level since 1995 and somewhat below their recent peak of 34.8 percent in 1997. The past-year use rate for 12th graders is down, albeit only modestly, from 38.5 percent in their recent peak year (1997) to 36.2 percent in 2002.

Source:Monitoring the Future, National Survey Results on Drug Use,1975-2002