I grew up in a house where the ‘ol green wasn’t considered some kind of evil gateway drug that led to living under a bridge, but some of my friends weren’t so lucky.

Parents be hating on weed, and like most unruly teens my friends and I had our fair share of eye drops and awkward conversations growing up.

Perhaps now the shoe is on the other foot though, because a 12-year report from America’s Centre For Disease Control (CDC) released Friday shows the ‘problem’ might be the other way around.

It is parents, rather than teens, who are enjoying the herb these days. Here’s the Huffington Post with the stats:

“During the last 13 years, marijuana use (i.e., past-month marijuana use) has steadily increased in the United States, particularly among people aged 26 years or older,” report author Alejandro Azofeifa…

Meanwhile, use among 12- to 17-year-olds actually fell 10 percent since 2002. Indeed, a greater percentage of 35- to 44-year-olds reported using the drug than these young teens. “Older groups had a significant increase of marijuana use in the past month,” the report said.

Here’s where you pot-smoking parents really step it up a notch:

Middle-aged people, between 45 and 54, saw an increase of nearly 50 percent since 2002. And it only went up from there.

Marijuana use in people over 65 is up 333 percent since 2002. And use in the 55- to 64-year-old cohort spiked by an incredible 455 percent.

Now America is a different beast altogether, given the increased legalisation and use of medical marijuana, but we did a quick little office survey to test whether it held up locally.

Yes, sometimes, only after a few drinks – which just left Seth, who said he’d prefer not to comment with a glint in his eye.

[source:huffpost]