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Teen cannabis use declining in New Zealand

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The number of 14 and 15-year-old Kiwis who have tried cannabis is decreasing, according to new data from the Youth Insights Survey. Between 2012 and 2018 the proportion of Year 10 students who had tried the drug fell by more than a quarter: from 19% down to 14%. However, the authors note that other research shows cannabis use is increasing among New Zealand adults generally.

Journal/conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago

Funder: Health Promotion Agency

Media Release

From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)

The findings confirm that cannabis use in Year 10 students has continued to decline since 2012. This was predicted, since cannabis trends in this age group are strongly associated with tobacco trends, and it was already known that smoking in Year 10 students had continued to decline since 2012.

In contrast, the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) shows that cannabis use has increased substantially among adults over the same period. Past year use increased from 9% in 2012/13 to 15% in 2018/19 overall, and from 19% to 29% among 15 to 24 year olds, the age group with the highest cannabis usage.

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