Marijuana Statistics

• Marijuana is the most used illegal drug in the United States. Nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once.
• Marijuana is California's largest cash crop.
• Today's marijuana is 10 to 15 times stronger than it was in the 60's
• Reaction time for motor skills, such as driving is reduced by 41% after smoking 1 joint and is reduced 63% after smoking 2 joints.
• There have been over 7,000 published scientific and medical studies documenting the damage that marijuana poses. Not one study has shown marijuana to be safe.
• Data has shown that people high on marijuana show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had to much to drink.
• The daily use of 1 to 3 marijuana joints can produce the same lung damage and potential cancer risk as smoking five times as many cigarettes.
• Marijuana is the second most common drug, after alcohol, present in the blood stream of non-fatally and fatally injured persons.
• Among teens 12 to 17, the average age of first trying marijuana was 14 years old.
• A yearly survey of students in grades 8 to 12 shows that 23% of 8th graders have tried marijuana at least once and by tenth grade, 21% are "current" users. Among 12th graders, nearly 50% have tried marijuana at least once, and about 24% were current users.
• Marijuana is a complex material containing 421 chemicals, 60 of which are only found in marijuana
• 33.6% of students listed to have used marijuana in the last year and 20% were listed to have used in the last month.
• 75% of drug-related criminal charges are connected to marijuana.
• 65% of people arrested for marijuana related crimes are for simple possession.
• Approximately 50,000 Canadians are arrested each year for marijuana related crimes.
• 600,000 Canadians have a criminal record for simple possession of marijuana.
• Estimates put the value of the marijuana industry to the British Columbia Economy at anywhere between $2 billion and $10 billion, making it one of British Colombia's top three industries.
• Marijuana is California's largest cash crop.
• Among American highschool seniors 1 in 11 is a daily marijuana user.
• Reaction time for motor skills, such as driving, are reduced by 41% after smoking 1 joint and is reduced by 63% after smoking 2 joints.
• There have been over 7,000 published scientific and medical studies documenting the damage that marijuana poses, none shoed that marijuana was safe.
• In 1998 8.3% of youths between the ages of 12 and 17 were current marijuana users.
• Marijuana is the second most common drug, after alcohol, present in the blood of nonfatal and fatally injured persons.
• Marijuana treatment admission rates increased in 41 States between 1993 and 1999.