Marijuana use among teens across the nation rose for the fourth straight year, according to results from the highly respected annual “Monitoring the Future” survey released Dec. 14 in Washington, D.C. In a survey of 47,000 high school students recently conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in 15 students admitted to using marijuana. Even more startling: one in nine admitted to using the synthetic version of the drug.
Synthetic marijuana, which commonly goes by the names “K2″ and “Spice,” can be bought at many gas stations and convenience stores. To date, 11 U.S. states have not yet banned the products.
Synthetic marijuana is typically made of organic herbal leaves coated with chemicals. The overall blend of leaves and chemicals provide a marijuana-like high when inhaled.
The survey also showed that while real and synthetic marijuana use is rising in teenagers, alcohol use is decreasing, along with some other drugs such as cocaine, crack cocaine and inhalants.