In a country like America should have used marijuana for medical needs can lead to increased drug use for non-medical. The study reveals a potential relationship exists between the laws in states that allow for access to marijuana for medical needs with a high level of use of marijuana for non medical.
According to research the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2010, marijuana was the drug most commonly used first by the users of illegal drugs. As many as 62 percent said that illegal drugs are the first consumed marijuana. While 26 percent of drug abuse should be by prescription such as sedatives and stimulants, and 9 percent of inhalant drugs.
The study found that in 2010, the average age of first time marijuana users is 18.4 years. Whereas in the study in 2002, is 17 years old. Nearly half of youth between 12-17 years said that, it is very easy to obtain marijuana, while one in five said that, it's easy to get cocaine. And one in 10 said that, it's easy to get heroin.
"I urge every family to increase their efforts to protect children from drug abuse. Every family should be able to provide education to anakanya about the serious dangers to health and safety caused by illegal drug use," said Gil Kerlikowske, the director of National Drug Control Policy CNNHealth as reported on Friday (09/09/2011).
The survey, conducted the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2010 recorded more than 22 million Americans age 12 and up, or nearly 9 percent of the U.S. population uses illegal drugs. Drug use in 2010 was slightly higher than the study in 2009.
"Surveys show that drug use in America remains at an unacceptable level," said Kerlikowske.
Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, and some prescription drugs that are used for non-medical purposes are also recorded in the survey. Marijuana into the illicit drug most commonly used, with more than 17 million users in 2010 and more than 3 million users in the survey in 2007.
According to this survey, in 2010 there were 7 million people in the U.S. use of psychotherapeutic drugs (including stimulants, tranquilizers, painkillers, and sedatives) for non-medical purposes and 1.2 million people use hallucinogens. The figures were almost the same as the last few years. While methamphetamine use decreased by more than half between 2006-2010.
The number of young people who use illicit drugs in the U.S. continues to increase. In 2008 recorded 19.6 percent of drugs used by people with the age group 18-25 years. But in a survey in 2010, that number had risen to 21.5 percent. This increase was primarily derived from the use of marijuana. The use of drugs in the group of people between the ages of 12-17 years was stable at around 10 percent.