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Digest of Education Statistics
2023 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 232.40.Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported using marijuana anywhere at least one time during the previous 30 days, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1993 through 2021
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Student characteristic199319951997199920012003200520072009201120132015201720192021
12345678910111213141516

   Total 

17.7


(1.22)

25.3


(1.03)

26.2


(1.11)

26.7


(1.30)

23.9


(0.77)

22.4


(1.09)

20.2


(0.84)

19.7


(0.97)

20.8


(0.70)

23.1


(0.80)

23.4


(1.08)

21.7


(1.22)

19.8

 

(0.84)

21.7

 

(0.94)

15.8

 

(0.86)
Sex
  Male 20.6(1.61)28.4(1.08)30.2(1.46)30.8(1.92)27.9(0.81)25.1(1.25)22.1(0.98)22.4(1.02)23.4(0.80)25.9(1.01)25.0(1.14)23.2(1.46)20.0 (0.89)22.5 (0.95)13.6 (0.81)
  Female 14.6(1.02)22.0(1.44)21.4(1.04)22.6(0.96)20.0(0.87)19.3(0.96)18.2(0.99)17.0(1.13)17.9(0.87)20.1(0.95)21.9(1.28)20.1(1.33)19.6 (1.14)20.8 (1.07)17.8 (1.06)

Race/ethnicity













































  American Indian/Alaska Native 17.4(4.77)28.0(5.72)44.2(4.31)36.2(6.55)36.4(5.48)32.8(5.29)30.3(4.36)27.4(3.50)31.6(5.26)47.4(3.20)35.5(6.37)26.9(5.20)29.7 (6.30)33.8 (6.55)17.6 (4.96)
  Asian1 ---(†)---(†)---(†)13.5(2.04)10.9(2.12)9.5(2.21)6.7(1.64)9.4(1.63)7.5(1.40)13.6(3.75)16.4(2.99)8.2(1.58)7.3 (1.79)8.5 (1.53)5.1 (1.00)
  Black 18.6(1.84)28.6(2.62)28.2(1.67)26.4(3.49)21.8(2.12)23.9(1.58)20.4(1.11)21.5(1.64)22.2(1.44)25.1(1.35)28.9(1.30)27.1(1.57)25.3 (1.24)21.7 (1.33)20.5 (1.60)
  Hispanic 19.4(1.33)27.8(2.92)28.6(2.06)28.2(2.29)24.6(0.81)23.8(1.16)23.0(1.22)18.5(1.41)21.6(1.04)24.4(1.27)27.6(1.50)24.5(1.49)23.4 (1.85)22.4 (1.04)16.7 (1.41)
  Pacific Islander1 ---(†)---(†)---(†)33.8(4.11)21.9(4.07)28.1(6.47)12.4!(3.87)28.7(6.14)24.8(5.50)31.1(7.08)23.4!(7.35)17.4(4.88)16.1 (4.08)14.3!(4.70)15.5!(5.94)
  White 17.3(1.41)24.5(1.49)25.0(1.56)26.4(1.59)24.4(1.04)21.7(1.20)20.3(1.11)19.9(1.28)20.7(0.93)21.7(1.09)20.4(1.36)19.9(1.67)17.7 (1.12)22.1 (1.16)14.8 (0.83)
  Two or more races1 ---(†)---(†)---(†)29.1(4.00)31.8(3.22)28.3(5.57)16.9(2.43)20.5(2.73)21.7(2.33)26.8(2.10)28.8(2.55)23.5(2.18)20.3 (2.27)27.8 (2.13)20.1 (2.53)

Sexual identity2













































  Heterosexual ---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)20.7 (1.29)19.1 (0.83)20.9 (0.99)14.0 (0.72)
  Gay or Lesbian---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)33.1 (4.52)30.0 (3.24)30.2 (3.37)17.3 (2.87)
  Bisexual ---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)31.7 (1.78)30.8 (2.11)31.4 (2.32)27.8 (2.18)
  Not sure ---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)26.0 (2.28)18.9 (2.77)19.5 (2.61)---(†)
  Other/questioning---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)---(†)16.5 (1.56)

Grade













































  9th 13.2(1.10)20.9(1.83)23.6(1.95)21.7(1.84)19.4(1.25)18.5(1.52)17.4(1.16)14.7(1.02)15.5(0.97)18.0(1.11)17.7(1.13)15.2(0.98)13.1 (1.07)14.6 (0.93)9.1 (0.81)
  10th 16.5(1.79)25.5(1.89)25.0(1.29)27.8(2.21)24.8(1.12)22.0(1.47)20.2(1.27)19.3(1.12)21.1(1.11)21.6(1.15)23.5(1.89)20.0(1.87)18.7 (0.93)19.8 (1.26)13.3 (1.00)
  11th 18.4(1.77)27.6(1.35)29.3(1.81)26.7(2.47)25.8(1.33)24.1(1.56)21.0(1.24)21.4(1.49)23.2(1.52)25.5(1.44)25.5(1.37)24.8(1.27)22.6 (1.23)24.9 (1.66)18.7 (1.19)
  12th  22.0 (1.40) 26.2 (2.35)26.6 (2.09) 31.5 (2.81)26.9 (1.77) 25.8 (1.19)22.8 (1.23) 25.1 (1.96) 24.6 (1.49) 28.0 (1.08) 27.7 (1.58) 27.6 (1.93) 25.7   (1.43) 28.3   (1.59) 22.4   (1.18)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1Before 1999, Asian students and Pacific Islander students were not categorized separately, and students could not be classified as Two or more races. Because the response categories changed in 1999, caution should be used in comparing data on race from 1993, 1995, and 1997 with data from later years.
2From 2015 to 2019, students were asked which of the following best described them: "heterosexual (straight)," "gay or lesbian," "bisexual," or "not sure." In 2021, the response options were updated to include "heterosexual (straight)," "gay or lesbian," "bisexual," "I am not sure about my sexual identity (questioning)," "I describe my sexual identity in some other way," or "I do not know what this question is asking." Students who selected "I do not know what this question is asking" are considered to be missing the sexual identity variable and thus excluded from the analyses. Because the response categories changed in 2021, caution should be used in comparing data on sexual identity from 2021 with data from earlier years.
NOTE: The term "anywhere" is not used in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey questionnaire; students were simply asked how many times during the previous 30 days they had used marijuana. Estimates in this table do not include the use of synthetic marijuana (also called K2, Spice, fake weed, King Kong, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, or Moon Rocks). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), 1993 through 2021. (This table was prepared July 2023.)

2023 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest