Teens Likely to Use Alcohol Before Trying Marijuana or Tobacco: Study

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, January 12, 2016

"Teens are likely to try alcohol before they try either tobacco or marijuana, a new study concludes. The findings come from a study of 2,835 U.S. high school seniors, The Washington Post reports.

The researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of Florida examined data from the Monitoring the Future study, an annual survey of teen substance use. The researchers found that teens were less likely to start using marijuana first, compared with alcohol and tobacco.

'Alcohol was the most widely used substance among respondents, initiated earliest, and also the first substance most commonly used in the progression of substance use,' the researchers wrote in the Journal of School Health." Read more

For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking and substance abuse, click here.