A new study from Florida Atlantic University found a "dramatic" drop in marijuana use among U.S. high schoolers.
According to the study published earlier this month, researchers from FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine used data from a "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" conducted from 2011 to 2021 that surveyed nearly 90,000 high schoolers.
The researchers found around 23% of students in 2011 indicated they were users, but by 2021, the figure dropped to below 16%.
The percentage of students smoking weed for the first time before age 13 also dropped by over 3%.
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Researchers said one of the most significant findings of the study was the shift in trends by gender, with girls surpassing boys in marijuana use at a rate of 17.8% to 13.6% in 2021. The 2011 data showed boys at 25.9% and girls at 20.1%.
The survey also found 12th graders have the highest rates of marijuana use, possibly because they may have greater access to it.
