Teen use of marijuana has declined this year despite two states, Colorado and Washington, legalizing it for recreational use, USA Today reported on Tuesday.
The University of Michigan study surveyed 40,000 to 50,000 students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade in United States' schools about their use of cigarettes, alcohol, and both illegal and legal drugs.
"There is a lot of good news in this year's results, bu the problems of teen substance use and abuse are still far from going away," said Lloyd Johnston, the study's principal investigator.
Marijuana use in all three grades hit a low after five years straight of increases. About 24 percent of students in the grades reporting smoking the drug, compared to 26 percent in 2013. Students in 8th and 10th grade said marijuana is harder to get than before. One in 17, or 5.8 percent, of students in their senior year of high school said they used marijuana almost daily this year, down from 6.5 percent the year prior.
Use of all prescription drugs, including painkillers, amphetamines and sedatives, declined to 14 percent from 16 percent among high school seniors. Heroin use remained stable for teens while growing among adults, but narcotic painkiller use dropped to 6 percent in 2014. It has been on the decline since 2009.
Among high school seniors, there was a significant decline in binge drinking. The number of students engaging in the behavior is now under 20 percent, as opposed to 1998 when binge drinking among high school seniors hit a peak of 31.5 percent, CNN reported.
National Institute On Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow said that increased awareness in the health care system about drug abuse, as well as educational campaigns, has caused the abuse of these drugs to drop.
"We still have a lot of work to do and we can still bring those numbers realistically lower," Volkow said. "Compared to other countries, even with the decline in use, the United States still has a higher drug use rate than many other countries."
