A recent study published by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that half of United States college students ages 19-60 admitted to using weed in 2020. While that may not exactly seem like a revelatory, uh, revelation, the “Monitoring the Future” study made researchers wonder: were people turning to weed to escape the pandemic?
The study reported that 44% of the surveyed 1,550 college students said they used weed in 2020 compared to 38% in 2015. Daily or near daily marijuana use saw an increase, too, rising to 8% from 5% over the last five years.
As it turns out, weed might have been the substance of choice, as reported alcohol use among college students dropped from 62% in 2019 to 56%. Binge-drinking, a common extracurricular activity among college students defined by “having five or more drinks in one outing at least once in two weeks,” decreased from 32% to 24% over the course of a year.
To read more, click on https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/college-students-reported-record-high-marijuana-use-and-record-low-drinking-in-2020-study-says/