As the addiction industry and its pro-drug allies continue to spend big on commercial pot and THC drugs, the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institutes of Health, shows that young people across the nation are starting to heed warnings the dangers by increasingly abstaining. However, while drug usage among young people other than marijuana is noticeably decreasing, the industry’s billion dollar marketing and lobbying campaigns continue to propel increases in daily usage marijuana and keep the use of THC-infused drugs stubbornly high among America’s youth.
In response to the latest national data, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy advisor to Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, released the following statement:
“Kudos to Big Pot: While other drug use is falling, they’ve kept marijuana use stubbornly high. Across the country the addiction industry has executed a well-funded lobbying and marketing campaign to try and normalize the use of high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs. While its clear from this year’s MTF survey that prevention and public health campaigns are making substantial gains in driving Americans’ understanding that marijuana isn’t medicine and is both dangerous and addictive, the industry is still raking in millions. It’s especially concerning to see the rise of daily use rates – a statistic that’s directly associated with the likelihood of developing cannabis induced psychosis and other tragic outcomes.
“It’s established science that these drugs – which remain federally illegal – have serious health ramifications for youth including IQ loss, depression, suicidality and psychosis. We are making progress but lawmakers, public health advocates, medical professionals and law enforcement must push back harder on the industry’s well-funded efforts to market these drugs like harmless candy. Big Marijuana, like Big Tobacco before it, doesn’t care about lifelong consequences young people will suffer from use of today’s high-potency THC drugs,” Sabet said.
This year’s MTF data shows that:
- Among past-year marijuana users in 12th grade, the percentage that vaped marijuana increased from approximately 20% in 2016 to approximately 70% in 2024;
- Among 12th graders, the prevalence of having ever used marijuana daily for a month or more increased year-over-year;
- Among 12th graders, the prevalence of past-year Delta 8 THC use increased from 2023 to 2024;
- Marijuana use remained stable for those in younger grades, with 7.2% of 8th graders and 15.9% of 10th graders reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months; and
- The percentage of students that said there is great risk associated with using marijuana regularly increased.
“The science on these drugs couldn’t be clearer as is the industry’s motive to hook a whole new generation of users. We need to continue to drive a fact-based narrative that demonstrates the dangers of today’s THC-infused drugs and marijuana to protect future generations. We can and must do better for our nation’s young people,” said Sabet.