Marijuana Use and Behavioral Problems Linked

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Marijuana Use and Behavioral Problems Linked

The rate of marijuana use in adolescents is declining, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. From the years 2002 to 2013, marijuana use declined a staggering 24 percent.

Researchers on the study from Washington University School of Medicine analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. They looked at the results of 216,000 adolescents across the United States that participated in this survey and were between the ages of 12 and 17. The data was gathered over a 12 year span.

It was found that not only did marijuana use decrease from 16 percent in 2002 to 14 percent in 2013, behavioral problems, such as physical fighting, drug selling and property crimes, also decreased. This may be linked because if the adolescents were less likely to have behavioral problems they were less likely to abuse marijuana. The percentage of these adolescents with marijuana use disorders also decreased from 4 percent in 2002 to 3 percent in 2013.