Report Links Marijuana and Cigarettes 

Smokers Are Seven Times More Likely to Use Marijuana  

Smoking cigarettes and daily use of cannabis are strongly linked in the United States, research says. Overall, smokers are seven times more likely to use pot daily than nonsmokers, according to a report from CNN. 

This relationship was found to be especially strong among young people between the ages of 12 and 17. Nearly a third of traditional cigarette smokers in this age group said they also used cannabis day in and day out, the report says. In fact, young smokers were more than 50 times more likely to use cannabis daily than their nonsmoking peers.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most commonly used “illicit” drug, used by about 22.2 million Americans. The institute classifies marijuana as an illicit drug despite legislation in some states that permits recreational use of this drug. 

Professors at the University of Michigan say that trends in marijuana use are of particular interest today because of the growing wave of states that are legalizing marijuana for recreational use. 

The researchers believe there is some concern that legalization could increase marijuana use among underage people. Legalization has the potential to increase marijuana use in all states, because many will interpret legalization as a signal that marijuana use is safe and state-sanctioned.

 

Article Source: CNN

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