Government Study Finds More Teenagers Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes

More teenagers smoke marijuana than cigarettes, according to a survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey found 23 percent of high school students said they recently smoked marijuana, compared with 18 percent who said they had smoked cigarettes.

The number of teenagers who smoke cigarettes has been declining for decades, the Associated Press reports. Marijuana use has risen in recent years. The AP notes that 2011 was the first year that marijuana smoking exceeded cigarette smoking among teens.

The new findings echo those of the nationwide Monitoring The Future survey, which also found marijuana was more popular than cigarettes among teens. According to that survey, marijuana use among teens rose in 2011 for the fourth straight year—a sharp contrast to the considerable decline that had occurred in the preceding decade. Daily marijuana use is now at a 30-year peak level among high school seniors.