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New Hampshire Marijuana Use By Youth

 

One in every ten (9.6) adolescents in New Hampshire report regularly using marijuana.

 

New Hampshire marijuana youth statistic

 

(This article originally appeared on new-futures.org. To learn more about New Hampshire marijuana use stats, visit www.checkthestatsnh.org.

 

On March 13th the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Hampshire launched its statewide “Check the Stats” campaign on marijuana at the Executive Council Chamber in the State House. Governor Hassan was a featured speaker at the event, along with Timothy Rourke, Richard Ober, and NH State Senator Jeanie Forrester.

 

Check the Stats” is aimed at parents and caregivers to inform them of the high rates of alcohol and drug usage among NH youth. Imagery of youth using alcohol and other drugs was unveiled in an effort to get people thinking.  

 

 

  • New Hampshire ranks second in the nation in past month alcohol use among 12-20 year olds.

 

  •  New Hampshire ranks ninth in the nation for past month marijuana use among 12-17 year olds.

        

  •  One in five high school students in New Hampshire has admitted to abusing prescription drugs.

     

 In September 2013, PFDFNH commissioned an online survey of 200 parents of children ages 9-17. This sampling of NH parents represented a diverse selection of economic and educational backgrounds and they came from communities all over the state. Although 88% of parents surveyed said that they were either concerned or very concerned about alcohol and drug use among New Hampshire youths, only 33% think that it is a significant problem in New Hampshire.

 

 “This campaign is shooting to raise awareness, change the dialogue in New Hampshire, and really change the conversation about the significance of our drug and alcohol epidemic broadly,” said Timothy Rourke, the Chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment.

 

 In 2012, of 12-17 year olds who entered state-funded treatment facilities in New Hampshire, 80% sought treatment for marijuana. Earlier in the winter, the President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Stuart Gitlow, spoke on youth marijuana abuse risks in New Hampshire at a SAM Kickoff event on January 30th.

 

 “If you ask people when they started drinking alcohol or using cigarettes they never tell you it wasn’t until I was 21,” Gitlow said. “You will never hear that. So you won’t hear that with marijuana either. And the difficulty is the brain doesn’t finish building itself until you’re 25. So if you start using any time before 25 you’re going to have more problems than if you start using after you’re 25.” 

 

 The negative impact of chronic marijuana use during adolescence and early adulthood is well documented and includes cognitive impairment of six to eight IQ points, which continues into adulthood.

 

 “If you start out with an IQ of 140 and you end up with an IQ of 132, you’re still going to be productive and capable,” Gitlow continued. “But the average person in America starts out with an IQ of 100 and that average individual will end up with an IQ of 92 and that person won’t be as productive as he or she would have been.”

 

 If you would like to get involved with the “Check the Stats” campaign, visit http://www.checkthestatsnh.org/ or e-mail Jennifer Cusato, Executive Director at [email protected]