Middle-aged parents are now more likely to smoke weed than their teenaged kids

[Robrites]

Smoking weed is often seen as an indulgence reserved for the young and the reckless: kids get high, in the popular imagination, but by and large their parents don't.
<del></del>But new federal data show a stunning reversal of that age-old stereotype. Middle-aged Americans are now slightly more likely to use marijuana than their teenage children.
The research, released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that only 7.4 percent of Americans aged 12 to 17 years old smoked marijuana regularly in 2014, a 10 percent decline since 2002. But 8 percent of 35 to 44 year olds used marijuana regularly in 2014, surpassing use among teens for the first time since at least 2002. (Survey data prior to that year aren't directly comparable, as the methodology changed.)
And it's not just middle-aged folkswho are indulging more often. Since 2002, regular marijuana use among Americans age 45 to 54 has jumped by nearly 50 percent. Among those ages 55 to 64, it's jumped by a whopping 455 percent (no, that's not a typo).
And among seniors, age 65+, monthly marijuana use is up 333 percent since 2002.

"During the last 13 years, marijuana use (i.e., past-month marijuana use) has steadily increased in the United States, particularly among people aged 26 years or older," said report author Alejandro Azofeifa in an email. "Older groups had a significant increase of marijuana use in the past month."
To put it another way: If trends continue like this, marijuana use among 50- and even 60-somethings could be higher than use among teens in a few years.


Much of the debate around marijuana legalization focuses onthe drug's potentially negative effects on teens: "what about the children?" as the common refrain goes. This makes a certain amount of sense, since the still-developing minds of adolescents and young adults are most susceptible to the potential long-term harms of heavy marijuana use.But the federal survey numbers on marijuana use suggest that voters considering whether to legalize pot should be asking themselves a different question: "what about grandpa?"
The rest

 

[FireIn.TheSky]

I think parents have always smoked weed but they had to hide it thru the 80s and 90s because the penalties were so steep for getting caught. Weed was so demonized with Nancy Reagans tv smear campaign it made it like you were doing hardcore drugs.

Im a child of the 80s I remember my dad stinking up the basement smoking joints since I was a little kid. My in laws have been smokers forever too. InFact most pepole I know young and old smoke weed.

I think people now have moved past the propaganda and base opinions on fact instead of fantasy and they just don't give a shit. Society is so rotten weed actually seems innocent.

I think there is more weed smokers out there then anyone realizes because a lot of people smoke but don't talk about it.

 

[Loc Dog]

I would hate to think what the kids are doing that is much worse. I saw salvia video with a guy taking one hit, spazzing out and crashing through a window, backwards.

 

[pop_rocks]

Since 2002, regular marijuana use among Americans age 45 to 54 has jumped by nearly 50 percent. Among those ages 55 to 64, it's jumped by a whopping 455 percent (no, that's not a typo).
And among seniors, age 65+, monthly marijuana use is up 333 percent since 2002.

could this be because of more medicinal/ legal states in america and the changing legal climate?
its hard to imagine that a lot of older folks are trying weed for the first time , maybe they are just more willing to admit to smoking weed?

anecdotally: all the young people in my life choose not to use drugs

 

[armedoldhippy]

a lot of older folk smoking now smoked when younger, but stopped for jobs/family etc. now, they are picking up where they left off, only with better tasting weed. myself, the longest i have gone without getting high was the 8 weeks of basic training for the USAF. it was the longest year of my life...

 

[Gry]

It would make sense to me that the parents of teenagers might increase their consumption for a few years.

 

[mr.brunch]

Kids ain't that interested in weed these days- once had a friend of a friend (18. Ish yrs old) refuse a joint from me saying " I don't smoke that poison " whilst cheerfully lining himself up some ketamine.

I was naturally speechless, obviously.

 

[William Levy]

This is really interesting! As long as people understand the benefits medical marijuana can bring, I can't see any wrong on parents using it. Cannabis has long been proven to contribute in medical industry and that is backed up with various research and studies.