What should we make of the data on teen substance use from Massachusetts?

The question in the title of this post is one I have been thinking about a lot since seeing this press report on new data from a survey done of teenagers in Western Massachusetts.  Here are the details:

Marijuana and e-cigarette usage among some Western Massachusetts teenagers appear to be on the up while fewer smoke tobacco, drink alcohol and use other drugs, according to a recent survey.   About 31 percent of 16- to 18-year-olds surveyed reported using marijuana in the past month, up four percent over 2016, the 2017 Massachusetts Prevention Needs Assessment Survey says.

The survey also showed kids, for the first time ever, reporting being exposed to marijuana advertising, and trying other forms of marijuana consumption, such as edibles, dabs and vapor pens.   

Meanwhile, the survey reported a modest dip of several percentage points in the use of alcohol among the same age groups.  In 2017, 28 and 48 percent of surveyed 16- and 18-year-olds, respectively, reported using alcohol in the past 30 days, versus 31.5 and 50.5 in 2015 and 35 and 51.3 in 2013. 

The percentages using other drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, sedatives, tranquilizers and other narcotics — always in the low single-digits in previous surveys — also fell across the board in the 2017 survey. 

Massachusetts voters’ 2016 Election vote to legalize marijuana for people over 21 likely contributed to the survey’s result showing fewer teenagers perceiving the drug to be a serious risk.   Additionally, fewer of the surveyed teens felt their parents strongly opposed the drug, either. 

The most explosive growth seen in any of the survey’s results appeared in the usage of electronic cigarettes.   Whereas virtually no 16- to 18-year-olds reported using e-cigs in 2015, 13 and 21 percent, respectively, had used the devices within the past month in 2017.

Sponsored by the Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth, the annual survey hit 3,320 county youths before the results were published in late August.