Half of Young Cigarette Smokers Also Smoke Pot

young girl smoking a cigarette

Social media turned out to be a better medium for surveying marijuana use than earlier types of research conducted by the University of California, San Francisco. Using a Facebook-based survey, researchers found that more than half of those who reported smoking cigarettes every day also smoked marijuana. The incidence was greater among those who were Caucasian, living in the Northeastern United States or rural areas, or if they were not students.

All those surveyed were between 18 and 25 years of age. Prior surveys seemed to indicate that only a third of daily smokers were also marijuana users. The researchers felt that the anonymity of the internet basis for the survey probably helped make the results more accurate.

young woman smoking weed

The fact of half of the young cigarette smoker’s also smoking pot, survey results align with another fact from the Monitoring the Future survey issued in 2012. This survey of eighth, tenth and twelfth-grade students collects information on drug abuse and attitudes about the subject. In this recent survey, eight out of ten high school seniors felt that it would be easy to acquire marijuana in a short time period. A very high availability makes abuse of the drug all the more likely in every corner of the US.

When parents fail to realize that half of the young cigarette smokers also smoke pot, they may miss this sign that their sons or daughters could be using marijuana. Daily cigarette smoking by one of their children could indicate a greater likelihood that marijuana is also being used.

And while marijuana itself is addictive and leads some people to seek rehab services, it also can start some people in a direction of further and more serious drug abuse. Young people, in particular, may start abusing marijuana only to proceed on to use of opiates, heroin, cocaine or heavy use of alcohol. Other young people may start out with prescription drugs and then incorporate marijuana into their drug use.

Achieving Lasting Sobriety And A Productive Enjoyable Life

In surveys of families who want to help a loved one with addiction, Narconon has found that they simply want their loved ones to be happy, to enjoy life and to be productive—all qualities that are lost when a person becomes addicted. This is also the goal of the Narconon program.

The Narconon program begins with a drug-free withdrawal which uses nutritional supplements and special techniques to ease the pain and discomfort of withdrawal. The next step is the New Life Detoxification, a regimen of sauna, exercise and nutritional supplements designed to remove drug residues from the fatty tissues of the body.

Next is a series of unique exercises, called Objectives. These help stably orient the student in the present, with his attention freed up from past moments of upset and difficulty. The final step consists of a series of Life Skill courses which enable the student to recover his (or her) own personal integrity that was lost in the addicted years. Learning problem-solving skills and being able to identify those who would be true friends and those whose association would lead to relapse are further essential skills for each person in recovery to acquire.

For more than fifty years, Narconon centers have been helping the addicted find lasting sobriety, even after decades of addiction to some of the worst drugs available. Narconon can help someone you care about to find a new life, too. It starts with the decision that recovery from addiction is possible. Contact us to find out how to begin on the path to a new drug-free life.


Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5937713/

AUTHOR

Sue Birkenshaw

Sue has worked in the addiction field with the Narconon network for three decades. She has developed and administered drug prevention programs worldwide and worked with numerous drug rehabilitation centers over the years. Sue is also a fine artist and painter, who enjoys traveling the world which continues to provide unlimited inspiration for her work. You can follow Sue on Twitter, or connect with her on LinkedIn.