(September 24) The number of young adults (ages 19-22) who regularly vape marijuana shot up between 2018 and 2019, according to the most recent Monitoring the Future study. This annual survey, conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research since1980, tracks substance use of college-aged adults.
The increase was especially higher among young adults who aren’t in college. In 2018, 11% of college students vaped weed in the past 30 days; in 2019 it rose to 14%. In 2018, 8% of non-college students admitted to vaping marijuana in the past 30 days; in 2019 that number more than doubled to 17%.
“Many young people may view vaping and cannabis use as ‘safer’, but the reality is that nicotine is highly addictive, and cannabis can also be addictive, particularly in younger adults for whom the brain is still developing,” Dr. Nora Volkow, who serves as the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said. Read more on NIDA’s website.
This graphic, created by NIDA, shows the numbers on daily marijuana use among young people. Go to their site for more infographics.
