Marijuana use on the rise

WASHINGTON - After nearly a decade in decline, marijuana is making a strong comeback among high school students, with growing use and softening attitudes about the risk of smoking pot starting in eighth grade.

For the first time since 1981, high school seniors reporting they had smoked marijuana in the last 30 days outnumbered those who smoked cigarettes.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse issued its 2010 "Monitoring the Future" survey Tuesday, a yearly look at kids' drug and tobacco use patterns and attitudes. The remarkable crossover of the lines for marijuana use and tobacco use is a victory for public-health campaigns aimed at stamping out cigarette smoking among teens.

But the federal office that tracks illicit drug use said it is driven by an uptick in youth marijuana use that is broad based and likely to continue.

- Los Angeles Times