My Two Cents is a weekly opinion column from Bethesda resident Joseph Hawkins. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BethesdaNow.com.
On Nov. 4, District of Columbia voters could pass a measure making marijuana sales legal.
One potential roadblock to pot sales in D.C. is Congress, but let’s let the election dust settle before figuring out if D.C. becomes the next Colorado.
One argument against legalizing pot in D.C. is that it will cause more teenagers to use marijuana. Of course, if pot sales become legal in D.C., teens could not purchase it legally. Nonetheless, some are concerned.
I’m not really sure one way or the other about the cause-and-effect argument. But the issue did make we wonder what the current local marijuana usage rates are amongst area teens.
Fortunately, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia teens participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) every other spring. Rates from the 2013 survey reveal some interesting findings:
- D.C. teens are smoking up a marijuana storm already. By the 12th grade, nearly 4 in 10 teens reported smoking pot or weed in the past 30 days.
- Overall, Montgomery County teens smoke less than their peers statewide, but by the 12th grade, nearly 3 in 10 teens reported smoking pot or weed in the past 30 days.
- If you’re concerned about making sure your teen doesn’t smoke weed, move to Utah. Teens in Utah registered the lowest 30-day usage rate in the nation at 7.6 percent.
The YRBS has been administered to teens since 1991. In 1991, the national 30-day marijuana usage rate stood at 14.7 percent. Clearly, the 30-day usage rate has moved higher. The highest 30-day usage rate ever recorded was in 1999, when the rate stood at 26.7 percent.
And clearly, teenage marijuana use is happening with our teens. A recent update on school resource officers showed there were 77 marijuana possession-related arrests at MCPS high schools last school year, by far the most frequent offense.
If pot sales become legal in D.C., will more teens in Montgomery County use marijuana?
Joseph Hawkins is a longtime Bethesda resident who remembers when there was no Capital Crescent Trail. He works full-time for an employee-owned social science research firm located Montgomery County. He is a D.C. native and for nearly 10 years, he wrote a regular column for the Montgomery Journal. He also has essays and editorials published in Education Week, the Washington Post, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He is a serious live music fan and is committed to checking out some live act at least once a month.
