Marijuana usage is at an all-time high because according to a study, over the past 10 years, Americans who use weed whether for medical or recreational purposes, have doubled.
According to CNN, the percentage of American adults who had used marijuana within the last year was 9.5 percent, compared to 4.1 percent way back 2001-2002.
The study, which was published just this week in Jama Psychiatry, was sponsored by the National Institute on Alchohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The study was based on in-person interviews with more than 36,000 American respondents were over the age of 18.
According to Scientific American, marijuana dependence and abuse was found to be on the rise but that can be attributed largely to the overall increase in new users. Furthermore, it was even noted that existing pot users experienced a 15 percent decline in weed-related disorders.
In a related report by the Toronto Sun, experts think that because most states did not have medical marijuana laws during the survey years, the results likely reflect mostly recreational use.
Dr. Deborah Hasin, the study's lead author from Columbia University said, "What was quite clear is the prevalence of use among adults had more than doubled."
About four percent of adults between 2001 and 2002 reported having used weed in the past year, compared to about 10 percent between 2012 and 2013. In relation to that, about 1.5 percent had abuse or dependence problems.
As of now, 23 U.S states allow the usage of marijuana for medical purposes and four of those, allow recreational use. In connection to that, majority of Americans are in favor of total marijuana legalization than before and even fewer see it as risky.
However, little was known about how the prevalence of marijuana use and disorders have changed during the first decade of the century, the researchers noted. According to past studies, marijuana use have been associated to mental health issues, bad quality of life, use of other substances and withdrawal after heavy use.
And earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics reiterated their opposition to marijuana legalization based on its well-documented negative effects of the drug on the development of children and adolescent brains. Reported effects were impaired memory and problem solving difficulties.
But according to Dr. Hasin, "Counteracting the perceptions that (marijuana) is harmless with a balanced message about the potential harms is important," she added, "For researchers, I think it's important to find what characteristics put people at risk."
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