There’s good news and bad news when it comes to teen drug and alcohol use. The good news is that fewer teens are drinking, a trend that has been steadily improving over the last two decades. The negative is that cannabis seems to be picking up alcohol’s slack.
The research is still evolving, but the decline in teen drinking likely stems from a mix of policies and public health campaigns. The same level of effort should be applied to discouraging teen cannabis use — and quickly.
A new study that looked at calls to poison centers in the U.S. over the course of two decades adds to growing evidence that more adolescents and teens are turning to cannabis over alcohol. The researchers found a gradual decline in alcohol-related calls since 2010, but a steady rise in cannabis cases from 2010 to 2017. Cases since 2017 have spiked.
