Major Drug Addiction Factor: Teen Marijuana Use

An 2010 article in the LA Times cited a government finding that more high school seniors light up joints than cigarettes. These statistics fit with a University of Michigan study which found that teen exposure to anti-drug messages has dropped dramatically over the past seven years.

Many factors contribute to drug addiction, but the Center on Substance Abuse at Columbia University ("CASAColumbia") has documented that the earlier a person uses marijuana, the more likely he or she will use other drugs later in adulthood. Additionally, children who smoke pot are 85 times more likely to use cocaine and 17 times more likely to become cocaine addicts than those who never smoke pot.

Another factor of addiction to consider is the longer the addict is abusing drugs and alcohol, the more likely he is to abuse other, more addictive drugs and the harder it is to rehabilitate him.

Our Narconon New Life Retreat rehabilitation center uses proven rehab methods that address fundamental factors of addiction in order to help an addict actually break free from the trap of drugs and alcohol.