The National Survey on Drug Use and Health serves as the gold standard when it comes to tracking public health trends across America. And the latets NSDUH is flashing a huge warning signal about kids, weed, and the addiction industry.
The stat that should have everyone running to write Congress and demand federal action?
From 2014 to 2024, cannabis use disorder (CUD) among kids aged 12-17 increased from 2.7% to 4.7%, a 74% increase. In raw numbers, that’s an increase from 667,000 kids to 1.2 million kids with CUD.
You read that right: A 74% increase. 1.2 million kids. Starting with 12 year olds.
In raw terms, that’s a jump of 533,000. Which is more than the popualtion of Atlanta.
And that’s far from the only bad news.
In 2014, 36% of kids aged 12-17 who used marijuana in the past month had a CUD.
In 2024?
That figure hit 78%, a 116% increase.
Among older youth, 18-25, 65% of ythose who used marijuana in the past month had a CUD.
In other words, the kids Big Weed is getting addicted are staying addicted.
Don’t forget that among kids aged 12-17 with a past year major depressive episode in 2024, 25% were marijuana users (compared to 20.3% in 2021). This rate is far higher than any other drug recorded. Among kids aged 12-17 with moderate or severe anxiety in 2024, 17.5% were marijuana users–also the highest rate of any drug.
And that mental illness lasts into adulthood.
Over 50% of people with serious mental illness aged 18+ were past year marijuana users, per this dataset, compared to just 41.6% in 2021.
Big Weed wants to supercharge all this, via pushes to reschedule the drug, legalize it, and normalize it.
It’s the Big Tobacco playbook all over again.
And just like before, it’s the most vulnerable who get hit the hardest.