Data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal high numbers of adolescent substance use in the United States. Substance use among adolescents can lead to increased risk of transmission of sexually transmitted infections, vehicular fatalities, juvenile delinquency, and other problems associated with physical and mental health. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to involvement in substance use due to the underdeveloped state of the adolescent brain, which can lead to reduced decision-making ability and increased long-term effects of drugs and alcohol. Understanding the causes of adolescent substance use is vital for successful prevention and intervention programs. 1. Introduction NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has continuously monitored trends of substance use among adolescents through providing funding to Monitoring the Future (MTF) Project since 1975 [1]. MTF consists of a series of questionnaires that are administered to adolescents throughout the country in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades regarding their beliefs and practices relating to substance use [1]. Though the sample population evaluated is restricted in its size ( ), is limited to adolescents attending school, and relies on self-reported behavior, the statistics generated by the MTF project provide a framework for understanding trends in adolescent substance use in the United States [1]. The 2011 MTF data reveal current predominant issues regarding adolescent substance use. The prevalence of cigarette use and binge drinking, defined by NIDA as five or more consecutive drinks in the past two weeks, has decreased over the past five years [2]. However, use of tobacco products remains high, with 2.4% of 8th graders, 5.5% of 10th graders, and 10.3% of 12th graders smoking every day [2]. Similarly, binge drinking was reported by 6.4% of 8th graders, 14.7% of 10th graders, and 21.6% of high school seniors [2]. The past five years have also been marked by an increase in marijuana use, with 12.5% of 8th graders, 28.8% of 10th graders, and 36.4% of 12th graders reporting use in the last year on the national 2011 MTF survey, which NIDA associates with decreases in perceived risk of harm [2]. The CDC found in their 2009 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) that 36.8% of high school students had used marijuana at some point in their life and that 20.8% had used it during the 30 days prior to the survey [3]. An emerging trend of adolescent substance use is the use of synthetic marijuana (commonly
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