Why More Teenage Girls Than Boys Now Use Marijuana
For the first time, more girls than boys are smoking and vaping marijuana
By Mark S Gold
Published by Psychology Today on August 29, 2025
Key points
• In a historic reversal, more female than male high school students are using marijuana.
• Vaping appears a driving force in females using marijuana.
• Vape marketing and packaging appeal to girls, and they vape more marijuana than boys in grades 8, 10, & 12.
For the first time in 50 years of keeping track, in 2024, girls used significantly more marijuana than boys in every grade. The much higher percentages of girls vaping marijuana may explain part of the difference. Boys are still smoking more cigarettes than girls, while girls are more attracted to vaping marijuana as well as to vaping nicotine. The vaping devices are clearly marketed to females in rainbow colors and offering flavors like coconut or mango.
