More than a fifth of US high school seniors vaped THC in 2019: NIH
More than 20 percent of US of high school seniors vaped THC in 2019 – study
More than 20 percent of US high school seniors reported vaping marijuana in 2019, the second largest single-year increase in any substance of abuse ever recorded in the annual study of national drug use trends, researchers reported on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, US officials reported another four vaping-related deaths from a nationwide outbreak of a respiratory illness, taking the toll to 52 deaths and more than 2,400 who have been hospitalized. Most of the injuries have occurred in people who vaped THC, the high-producing ingredient in marijuana.
Compiled by researchers at the University of Michigan and published in the medical journal JAMA, the "Monitoring the Future" study found that 21 percent of 12th graders, 19 percent of 10th graders and 7 percent of 8th graders reported vaping THC in the last year.
The increases in all three grades translate into at least 1 million additional THC vapers in 2019 versus 2018, researchers said.
Among 12th graders, that amounted to a 7.7 percentage-point increase, the second-largest for any substance in the study's 45-year history. The largest occurred last year, when it reported a 10.9 percentage-point gain in nicotine vaping, which the US Food and Drug Administration characterized as a national epidemic.
"Whatever teens can vape has increased dramatically in the last few years," Richard Miech, who led the study, said in emailed comments.
Part of that is because vaping devices are sleek, and easy to hide. Smoking marijuana is much harder to conceal, Miech said.
"Vaping allows teens to get around the policies and procedures put in place to prevent teen drug use," he said.
The number of 12th graders who said they had vaped marijuana in the past month doubled from the 2018 survey to 14 percent. Rates also are rising among younger teens.
A vendor makes change for a marijuana customer at a cannabis marketplace in Los Angeles, the US. Photo: IC
The results of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, are alarming as federal officials continue to investigate fatal lung injuries associated with vaping.Earlier this week, US officials reported another four vaping-related deaths from a nationwide outbreak of a respiratory illness, taking the toll to 52 deaths and more than 2,400 who have been hospitalized. Most of the injuries have occurred in people who vaped THC, the high-producing ingredient in marijuana.
Compiled by researchers at the University of Michigan and published in the medical journal JAMA, the "Monitoring the Future" study found that 21 percent of 12th graders, 19 percent of 10th graders and 7 percent of 8th graders reported vaping THC in the last year.
The increases in all three grades translate into at least 1 million additional THC vapers in 2019 versus 2018, researchers said.
Among 12th graders, that amounted to a 7.7 percentage-point increase, the second-largest for any substance in the study's 45-year history. The largest occurred last year, when it reported a 10.9 percentage-point gain in nicotine vaping, which the US Food and Drug Administration characterized as a national epidemic.
"Whatever teens can vape has increased dramatically in the last few years," Richard Miech, who led the study, said in emailed comments.
Part of that is because vaping devices are sleek, and easy to hide. Smoking marijuana is much harder to conceal, Miech said.
"Vaping allows teens to get around the policies and procedures put in place to prevent teen drug use," he said.
The number of 12th graders who said they had vaped marijuana in the past month doubled from the 2018 survey to 14 percent. Rates also are rising among younger teens.
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