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Youth

Teen Substance Abuse Rates Show Mixed Results in Latest Survey

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Substance abuse rates among US teenagers are showing a mixed bag of results, according to the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey. While cigarette and alcohol use have reached historically low rates, the survey also revealed a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking and high rates of abuse of other tobacco products, marijuana, and prescription drugs. The survey, conducted annually by researchers at the University of Michigan, polled 12,762 teenagers from 356 public and private schools across the US.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cigarette use among 12th-graders has declined to 18.7 percent, a 55.4 percent decrease from the peak rate of 36.5 percent in 1997.
  • Only 6.1 percent of eighth-graders reported current smoking, a 70.4 percent decrease from the peak rate of 21 percent in 1996.
  • The rate of decline in teen smoking has slowed, with an average annual decrease of 0.5 percent between 2006 and 2011, compared to 2.3 percent between 1996 and 2001.
  • Use of other tobacco products, such as hookahs and small cigars, remains high, particularly among older teens.
  • Marijuana use among 12th-graders has shown an upward trend, with 36.4 percent reporting past year use, up from 31.5 percent five years ago.
  • The perception of risk associated with marijuana use has decreased, with only 22.7 percent of high school seniors seeing great risk in smoking occasionally.
  • 11.4 percent of 12th-graders reported past year use of synthetic marijuana, known as K2 or spice.
  • Abuse of prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin, has decreased among 12th-graders, but no declines were seen for OxyContin.
  • Binge drinking rates decreased across all three grades, with 6.4 percent of eighth-graders, 14.7 percent of 10th-graders, and 21.6 percent of 12th-graders reporting binge drinking.

Statistics:

  • 18.7 percent of 12th-graders reported current cigarette use in 2011, compared to 36.5 percent in 1997.
  • 6.1 percent of eighth-graders reported current smoking in 2011, compared to 21 percent in 1996.
  • 36.4 percent of 12th-graders reported past year use of marijuana in 2011, up from 31.5 percent five years ago.
  • 11.4 percent of 12th-graders reported past year use of synthetic marijuana (K2 or spice) in 2011.
  • 8.1 percent of 12th-graders reported abuse of the opioid painkiller Vicodin in 2011, down from 9.7 percent in 2009.
  • 5.9 percent of 10th-graders reported abuse of Vicodin in 2011, down from 7.7 percent in 2010.
  • 63.5 percent of 12th-graders reported past year use of alcohol in 2011, down from 74.8 percent in 1997.

Sources:

  • Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, 2011
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy
  • Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, assistant secretary for health
  • Dr. Nora D. Volkow, NIDA director

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