A new report on drug use is out and it shows that more high school students in Jackson County are using pot since the state legalized medical marijuana four years ago.
That's according to new data from the county's Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.
"We ask the kids all the time, which is worse, marijuana or tobacco? Before 2008, hands down kids said it was marijuana. After 2008, it flipped. Hands down they say it's tobacco," said Shelly Milligan.
Milligan spends most of her time in the classroom teaching students about the dangers of drug use. In the past couple of years, she's noticed some changes.
"I'd say about a year after they passed the medical marijuana law, we started noticing that more and more kids were talking about it. The term medical marijuana is confusing. I've had middle school students say to me, I know somebody who's taking it for a broken leg. I know somebody who's taking it to cure cancer," said Milligan.
Between 2008 and 2010, 19 percent of high school students smoked pot in a 30-day period. That's up from 16 percent. Milligan says it's not just the changing perception of pot that's to blame.
"I'd say probably three-quarters of the kids in my classrooms, high school, know somebody who has applied or has their medical marijuana card. So the access has gone up," said Milligan.
Educators say they worry the number of high school students smoking pot will continue to grow.
To deal with the increase, the drug prevention group is continuing its programs and also considering reaching out to parents.
