Kids who are bullied are more likely to use cigarettes, other harmful substances

A new survey of high school students in California finds that some 14% of them were bullied, and those who were bullied are also more likely to report using harmful substances. Here’s more from the survey:

• The design: U.S. News & World Report analysts looked at data from nearly 400,000 high school students during the 2017-2018 school year.
• The findings: Students who reported being bullied were twice as likely to have smoked cigarettes. Around 40% of these students consumed alcohol, compared to about 29% who didn’t report being bullied. Other substances including marijuana and cocaine were also used by more students who were bullied.
• The caveat: Although the study included a large cohort, it only examined students in a single state.