The 2013 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 23.4% of US high school students had used marijuana in the past 30 days, while marijuana lifetime use prevalence had not changed over the monitoring period.
Read this if you want the definitive national data on how common marijuana use is among US high school students.
23.4% of US high schoolers used marijuana in the past month (2013)
What the researchers found
The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, covering 104 health-risk behaviors among US high school students, found that 23.4% had used marijuana during the 30 days before the survey. Other key substance use findings: 34.9% had drunk alcohol and 15.7% had smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days.
Long-term trend analysis showed that while many risky behaviors had decreased since monitoring began (physical fighting, cigarette use, sexual activity), marijuana lifetime use prevalence had not changed. The survey also found that 8.0% had attempted suicide in the past year and 19.6% had been bullied at school.
Data were available at national, state, and large urban school district levels, providing a comprehensive picture of youth health behavior.
Why it matters
The YRBSS is the gold standard for monitoring youth health behaviors in the United States. The finding that marijuana use prevalence has remained stable while cigarette use declined suggests different factors drive each behavior and that cigarette prevention strategies have not transferred to marijuana.
The numbers in context
23.4% past 30-day marijuana use. 34.9% past 30-day alcohol use. 15.7% past 30-day cigarette smoking. 8.0% attempted suicide. 46.8% ever had sexual intercourse. 14.8% cyberbullied. Data from 42 states, 21 urban districts.
How the study worked
National school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered in 2013 across the United States, with additional state-level surveys (42 states) and large urban school district surveys (21 districts). Representative sampling of students in grades 9-12.
What this study cannot tell us
Self-reported data collected in school settings. Students absent on survey day and out-of-school youth are missed. Social desirability bias may affect responses on sensitive topics. Response rates varied across jurisdictions.
How to read the evidence
National surveillance system with representative sampling, the gold standard for youth health behavior monitoring.
When this study was published
Published in 2014 with 2013 data. The YRBSS continues to be conducted biennially.
The bigger picture
This comprehensive surveillance system provides the baseline data against which all youth substance use trends are measured. The divergence between declining cigarette use and stable marijuana use challenges assumptions that reducing one substance automatically reduces others.
Questions still open
- Why has marijuana use not declined alongside cigarette use? Have marijuana use rates changed since 2013, particularly with state legalization trends? Are school-based surveys capturing the full picture of youth substance use?
Common questions
How common is marijuana use among high school students?
Is marijuana more common than cigarettes among teens?
Read the original research
Youth risk behavior surveillance--United States, 2013.
MMWR supplements, 63(4), 1-168
Citation
Kann, Laura; Kinchen, Steve; Shanklin, Shari L; Flint, Katherine H; Kawkins, Joseph; Harris, William A; Lowry, Richard; Olsen, Emily O'Malley; McManus, Tim; Chyen, David; Whittle, Lisa; Taylor, Eboni; Demissie, Zewditu; Brener, Nancy; Thornton, Jemekia; Moore, John; Zaza, Stephanie. (2014). Youth risk behavior surveillance--United States, 2013.. MMWR supplements, 63(4), 1-168.
Explore the wider topic
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- My Kid's Friends Smoke Weed: A Parent's Guide
- I Smoke Weed But Don't Want My Kids To: Navigating the Hypocrisy
- Quitting Weed as a Parent: Why It Is the Hardest and Most Important Quit
- Quitting Weed as a Teen or Young Adult
- My Kid Is Smoking Weed: A Parent's Guide