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Youth

Monitoring the Future Survey Reveals Stable or Declining Trends in Illicit Drug Use Among Adolescents

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Adolescent drug use has continued to follow a downward trend, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future survey, a long-standing study that has been monitoring substance use trends among young people for 49 years. Conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the survey found that while the percentage of adolescents reporting the use of any illicit substances in 2023 continued to hold steady below pre-pandemic levels, overdose death rates among teens have risen. The survey also noted a decline in the use of nicotine vaping and alcohol among older grades, and stable use of cannabis across all three grades surveyed.

Key Takeaways:

  • The percentage of adolescents reporting the use of any illicit substances in 2023 remained below pre-pandemic levels, with 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders reporting use in the past year.
  • Alcohol use remained stable for eighth and 10th graders, but declined for 12th graders, with 45.7% reporting use in the past year (compared to 51.9% in the previous year).
  • Nicotine vaping declined in the older grades, from 20.5% to 17.6% in 10th grade and from 27.3% to 23.2% in 12th grade, but remained stable for eighth graders, with 11.4% reporting vaping nicotine in the past year.
  • Cannabis use remained stable across all three grades surveyed, with 8.3% of eighth graders, 17.8% of 10th graders, and 29.0% of 12th graders reporting cannabis use in the past year.
  • Abstaining from marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine increased for 12th graders, with 62.6% reporting abstaining from any use of these substances over the past month.
  • The survey also measured the use of delta-8-THC for the first time in 2023, with 11.4% of 12th graders reporting use in the past year.
  • Any illicit drug use other than marijuana also remained stable for all three grades surveyed, with 4.6% of eighth graders, 5.1% of 10th graders, and 7.4% of 12th graders reporting any illicit drug use other than marijuana in the past year.
  • Use of narcotics other than heroin decreased among 12th graders, with 1.0% reporting use within the past year (matching the all-time low reported in 2021 and down from a high of 9.5% in 2004).

Statistics:

  • 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders reported any illicit drug use in the past year.
  • 15.1% of eighth graders and 30.6% of 10th graders reported alcohol use in the past year.
  • 11.4% of eighth graders reported vaping nicotine in the past year.
  • 8.3% of eighth graders, 17.8% of 10th graders, and 29.0% of 12th graders reported cannabis use in the past year.
  • 22,318 respondents participated in the survey.
  • 13% of students identified as Black or African American, 1% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 3% as Asian, 25% as Hispanic, 1% as Middle Eastern, 41% as white, and 16% as more than one of the preceding categories.
  • 48% of students identified as male, 47% as female, 1% as other, and 4% selected the "prefer not to answer" option.

Sources:

  • National Institutes of Health. (2023). New Data Show Relatively Low Use of Illicit Substances, Yet Overdose Death Rates Among Teens Have Risen. Retrieved from
  • Monitoring the Future Survey. (2023). 2023 Monitoring the Future Data Tables. Retrieved from
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2023). About the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from
  • National Institutes of Health. (2023). About the National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from

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