Marijuana Use Tops Cigarette Smoking Among Canadian Youth
June 5th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Dobson
The average Canadian youth smokes their first cigarette at age 12, takes their first drink at 13, and tries illicit drugs at age 14, according to the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse (CCSA).
The CanWest News Service reported Sept. 5 that a report entitled Substance Abuse in Canada: Youth in Focus also found that 83 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds either were current drinkers or had consumed alcohol within the previous year.
Marijuana was the most popular illicit drug, used by 17 percent of 7th- to 9th-graders, 29 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds, and about half of 18- and 19-year-olds. That made marijuana more popular among Canadian youth than tobacco.
Michel Perron, head of the CCSA, said that prevention needs to target younger people and that treatment service needs to be professionalized in Canada.
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This article summarizes a mainstream media report of research published in a scientific journal. It is not an original analysis of the source material, which is cited in the reference above.
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Tags: Marijuana, Cigarette, Smoking, Among, Canadian, Youth