PEHSU Fact Sheet on Marijuana and the Impact on the Pediatric Population (including Perinatal and Adolescent) - Guidance for Healthcare Providers (2018) > Epidemiology
posted on Aug 1, 2019
The 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found [6]:
- Over 4% of women surveyed admitted to drug use in pregnancy and marijuana was the most commonly used substance Almost 1,000 exposure calls to US poison centers occurred between 2005 and 2011 for pediatric marijuana exposures in children 9 years and younger [7]
- Exposure rates have significantly increased in states that have legalized marijuana for medical or retail use (increase in 30% exposure calls per year)
According to the 2017 Monitoring the Future survey (MTF) [8]:
- Marijuana use by adolescents declined between late 1990s until the mid-to-late 2000s, but has increased since
- In 2017, 5.5% of 8th graders, 15.7% of 10th graders, and 22.9% of 12th graders used marijuana in the past month, an increase from 6%, 1%, and 19%, respectively, in 2008.
- Daily use remained relatively constant at approximately 3%.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has estimated:
- In 2014, approximately, 7% or 1.8 million youth between 12 to 17 years used marijuana in the past month .[3]
- Perceived risk from once-monthly use has decreased from 55% in 2005, to 44.8% in 2011.[9]