High school kids tell survey pot easy to get

SEATTLE – Washington high school students who participated in a statewide survey say marijuana is easy to get and they do not perceive any risk from smoking pot once or twice.

While high school smoking of tobacco continues to go down, marijuana use has remained stable since the last healthy youth survey was conducted two years ago, state health officials said Thursday.

More than 200,000 students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 in Washington public schools took the voluntary and anonymous survey in October. They answered a variety of questions about their health and behaviors.

About 72 percent of 12th-graders and 61 percent of 10th-graders said they perceived no or low risk from trying marijuana once or twice. And 66 percent of 12th-graders and 53 percent of 10th-graders said marijuana is easy or very easy to get.

Washington legalized marijuana for adult use about two years ago, but it remains illegal for anyone under age 21 to use or possess pot. Despite the law, about 27 percent of 12th-graders and 18 percent of 10th-graders reported using marijuana at least once during the month before the survey was conducted.

Most of the students surveyed reported that they think their parents believe youth marijuana use is wrong, and those who know of their parents’ objections are somewhat less likely to use it themselves.

Students reported less use of alcohol and other drugs than they did in previous surveys. Fewer sophomores reported driving in cars with drinking drivers – 24 percent in 2008 compared with 18 percent in 2014. But health officials reported an increase in the number of students who reported riding in a car with a driver who had been using marijuana.