Drug use among America's youth is dropping, but it's booming among people over 50, a U.S. government survey released Wednesday shows.
Last year, the rate of illicit drug use among children and teenagers 12 to 17 years old dropped to 9.5 percent, down from 11.6 percent a decade earlier, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) latest national survey.Meanwhile, illicit drug use among adults 50 to 64 years old has increased in the past decade.
just 2 more months till my 65th and i'll be free of potential drug use.
Specifically, illicit drug use among adults 50 to 54 has more than doubled since 2002, reaching 7.2 percent last year. For people 55 to 59, such drug use has more than tripled, reaching 6.6 percent last year.Marijuana is by far the most-used illicit drug among both children and adults, according to SAMHSA, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.At a press conference Wednesday in Washington, officials expressed particular concern about use by those 12 to 17 years old."There's no question that marijuana is harmful to the developing brains of adolescents," said SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde, adding that marijuana use has been linked to "significant I.Q. declines."As for young adults – those 18 to 25 years old – rates of illicit drug use have remained somewhat steady over recent years, with a slight increase in marijuana use, according to the survey.
one would think that the new laws would invigorate the useage by design what good is lifting restrictions if there is no demand?
if drug use has declined so dramatically would the relax in the laws boost future usage thereby creating a market for new laws to profit?, just sayin'
