Over 1 million youths aged 12 to 17 and half a million young adults aged 18 to 25 used marijuana for the first time in 1999.
In 2000, the highest rate of past month marijuana use was among 19 year olds.
Adult dependence on illicit drugs was more likely among individuals who first used marijuana at age 14 or younger than among those who first used marijuana after age 14.
Based on SAMHSA's 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 3.1 million persons aged 12 or older used marijuana daily, that is, on 300 or more days in the past year. Between 2002 and 2003, the number of 12 to 17 year olds reporting daily use of marijuana decreased from 358,000 to 282,000; while there were no changes in the number of daily marijuana users among 18-25 year olds or adults age 26 or older.
An estimated 39.2% of daily marijuana users were dependent on or abused marijuana compared with 13.5% of less-than-daily marijuana users.
Daily marijuana users (63.3%) were more likely than less-than-daily marijuana users (38.8%) or non marijuana users (4.6%) to use another illicit drug. Daily marijuana users also were more likely to be current cigarette smokers and heavy drinkers.
More than half of daily marijuana users (53.3%) reported dependence on or abuse of alcohol or an an illicit drug compared with those who were less-than-daily users (36.5%) and nonusers (5.6%).
How Youth Obtain the Marijuana
Based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2002, over 60 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 who had used marijuana in the past year obtained their most recently used marijuana for free or shared someone else's marijuana.
Among youths who obtained marijuana for free or shared it, blacks (18 percent) were more likely than whites (9 percent) or Hispanics (7 percent) to have obtained it from a relative or family member.
Among youths who bought their most recently used marijuana, white youths (9 percent) were more likely than black youths (4 percent) to have purchased it inside a school building.
Males were more likely than females to have purchased their most recently used marijuana.
