Report ties teen smoking to drug abuse

Young people who smoke cigarettes are much more likely to use drugs and abuse alcohol than non-smoking youth, a new study says. A study of 15- to 19-year-olds by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse found a "very strong" association between tobacco use and hazardous drinking, use of marijuana, and other drugs. "What surprised me was the strength of the association," said Chris Davis, one of the researchers for the study. The study found 91% of smoking youth used marijuana some time in the year before the study, compared to 29% of non-smoking youth. Young people who smoke were more likely to binge drink and more than twice as likely to be hazardous drinkers than non-smokers. .

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