New Study Reveals that One in Ten Teens has Tried Hashish
What are the kids doing now? Every year it seems, young people find a new drug to abuse, a new way to get high, or something different to experiment with. Or, if it is not a “new” drug, young people seem to “bring a drug back” that had been in use for some time but which had fallen out of popularity.
According to a new study performed by the New York University’s Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, hashish is back in popularity once again. To make matters worse, the study was able to identify and publicize new factors involved with hashish use and prove an increased risk when teens use hashish.
New Information on Teens Using Hashish
Hashish is similar to marijuana, though more potent. It can be smoked, vaporized, baked into foods, all in the same way that marijuana can. Hashish contains a greater THC content than marijuana does, making the drug stronger and more addictive. While a marijuana cigarette only has about a half of one percent to five percent THC at the most, hashish contains two percent to even twenty percent THC. In fact, the DEA has reported busting drug rings that were selling hashish with fifty percent THC in it.
Studies indicate that teens are becoming increasingly interested in hashish and marijuana both. In fact, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, teens are now more likely to smoke marijuana than they are to smoke cigarettes. Why? Because teens perceive less risk in smoking marijuana than they do in smoking cigarettes.
“Nearly one out of 10 teens reported ever using hashish and it was used by a quarter of lifetime marijuana users…”
According to New York University’s researcher Joseph Palamar:
“Nearly one out of 10 teens reported ever using hashish and it was used by a quarter of lifetime marijuana users. Another key finding was that other drug use was a robust risk factor for hashish use. Other illicit drug use, regular cigarette smoking, and frequent alcohol use each increased the risk for hashish use; however, a main finding was that as the frequency of other marijuana use increased, so too did risk for recent hashish use.”
Joseph Palamar went on to state a concerning discovery regarding teen hashish use:
“Interestingly, our research found that students using marijuana because they identified as being 'hooked' on it nearly doubled the odds for hashish use. Since it is the more frequent marijuana users and those who feel they are hooked who are more likely to use hashish, in some instances hashish use can be used as an indicator of the severity of marijuana use.”What is Hashish?
Hashish is produced by collecting and compressing “trichomes” which are the most potent, fine growth, and sticky resin sections of the plant. Hashish is more potent than marijuana because THC is more concentrated in the sections of the plant used to make hashish. The marijuana leaves, which are dried and rolled into marijuana cigarettes, are actually not the most THC-rich section of the plant.
Hashish has very similar effects on the user as marijuana does, only more pronounced. This creates risk for teens because they are more likely to be heavily influenced or even become addicted when they smoke hashish. Furthermore, hashish is a gateway drug for many young people, a powerful, mind-altering substance that could influence them to experiment with even more potent, more dangerous substances like street drugs or pharmaceuticals.
We need to make sure that teens know the risks involved in using hashish. The fact that one in ten teens are now using hashish is very concerning indeed. They need to understand the risks involved so they know why they should not be using hashish. This is far more effective than just telling them not to use it.
Sources:
®