Reported Drug Use Among Adolescents Continues to Hold Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2023

Strategic Insights -

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has released new data from the Monitoring the Future survey, showing that the percentage of adolescents reporting illicit substance use in 2023 remained low compared to pre-pandemic levels. The survey, conducted annually by researchers at the University of Michigan, found that 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders reported using any illicit substance in the past year. This trend is reassuring, but it's essential to note that other research has reported a dramatic rise in overdose deaths among teens, largely attributed to illicit fentanyl.

Key Takeaways:

  • The percentage of adolescents reporting illicit substance use in 2023 remained low, with 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders reporting use in the past year.
  • Reported use for almost all substances decreased dramatically between 2020 and 2021, but most reported substance use among adolescents held steady at these lowered levels in 2022 and into 2023.
  • The Monitoring the Future survey found that adolescents most commonly reported use of alcohol, nicotine vaping, and cannabis in the past year, with levels generally declining from or holding steady with the lowered use reported in 2022.
  • Use of narcotics other than heroin (including Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, etc.) decreased among 12th graders, with 1.0% reporting use within the past year, matching the all-time low reported in 2021.
  • Abstaining, or not using, marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine increased for 12th graders, with 62.6% reporting abstaining from any use of these substances over the past month, and remained stable for eighth and 10th graders.
  • The 2023 Monitoring the Future survey included a new measure to assess use of delta-8, a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant, with 11.4% of 12th graders reporting use in the past year.

Statistics:

  • 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders reported using any illicit substance in the past year (2023 Monitoring the Future survey).
  • The percentage of 12th graders reporting use of any illicit drug other than marijuana decreased from 7.9% in 2022 to 7.4% in 2023 (2023 Monitoring the Future survey).
  • 62.6% of 12th graders reported abstaining from any use of marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine over the past month (2023 Monitoring the Future survey).
  • 11.4% of 12th graders reported using delta-8 in the past year (2023 Monitoring the Future survey).
  • 1.0% of 12th graders reported using narcotics other than heroin in the past year (2023 Monitoring the Future survey).

Sources:

  • The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) news release, "Reported drug use among adolescents continued to hold below pre-pandemic levels in 2023," December 14, 2023
  • The Monitoring the Future survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • The CDC and Census data analysis, cited in the NIDA news release.