Substance Use Among Teens Has Declined, Says Survey

January 13, 2017

Fewer teens are using drugs, alcohol and tobacco today than in years past, according to the 2016 Monitoring the Future survey.

The annual report, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, examines drug, alcohol and cigarette use and related attitudes among eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders. More than 45,400 students from 372 public and private schools participated in the 2016 survey.

Fewer students reported past-year use of illicit drugs other than marijuana in 2016 than they had the year prior, according to the report. Lifetime use of these drugs among all three grades has declined since 2013.

Rates of past-year, past-month and lifetime use of alcohol among all three grades were lower in 2016 than in 2013.

Cigarette smoking among students in all three grades reached the lowest levels recorded in the survey’s 42 year history.

From 2015 to 2016, the percentage of students who reported smoking cigarettes in the past month fell from 3.6 percent to 2.6 percent among eighth-graders, 6.3 percent to 4.9 percent among 10th-graders and 11.4 percent to 10.5 percent among 12th-graders.

Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA director, was encouraged by the results.

“This is very, very good news,” Volkow told CNN. “We are seeing some of the lowest rates of drug use we’ve ever encountered in our survey, and that is for cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, inhalants.”

However, Volkow remains concerned about teen marijuana use.

The survey found that past-year marijuana use among eighth- and 10th-grade students declined from 2015 to 2016. However, 12th-graders used the drug at a higher rate during that time.

Teen Prescription Drug Use Also Declining

The survey showed fewer teens today are using prescription drugs, despite the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States.

The percentage of 12th-graders using Vicodin in the past year fell from 7.5 percent in 2012 to 2.9 percent in 2016.

Less than 1 percent of eighth-grade students surveyed in 2016 reported using Vicodin or OxyContin in the past year.

Prescription Drug Use Among 12th-Graders (Percentages)
	2014	2015	2016
Lifetime	19.9	18.3	18
Past Year	13.9	12.9	12
Past Month	6.4	5.9	5.4

Source: 2016 Monitoring the Future Survey

Fewer 10th- and 12th-grade students are using Adderall and Ritalin as well. However, slightly more eighth-graders reported using these stimulants in 2016 in 2015.

From 2015 to 2016, the percentage of students who reported using amphetamine in the past year fell from 4.1 percent to 3.5 percent among eighth-graders, 6.8 percent to 6.1 percent among 10th-graders and 7.7 percent to 6.7 percent among 12th-graders.

Fewer Teens Vaping, Using Hookah

More teens reported past-month e-cigarette use than cigarette use in 2016. But the percentage of teens who use e-cigarettes declined from 2015 to 2016, according to the survey.

During that time, the percentage of students who reported vaping in the past month fell from 9.5 percent to 6.2 percent among eighth-graders, 14 percent to 11 percent among 10th-graders and 16.2 percent to 12.5 percent among 12th-graders.

“Whether adolescent vaping has peaked or only paused is something we will be able to determine in the coming years,” Richard Miech, a senior investigator for the Monitoring the Future project, said in a statement.

Teen hookah use also declined in 2016, the first significant drop since the survey began tracking teen hookah use in 2010. Past-year hookah use among 12th-graders fell from 20 percent in 2015 to 13 percent in 2016.

Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke tobacco. The activity is widely viewed as less harmful than cigarette smoking. However, hookah smoking presents many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medical Disclaimer: DrugRehab.com aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

View Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, December 1). Smoking & Tobacco Use: Hookahs. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/hookahs/
• National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016). Monitoring the Future Study: Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/trends-statistics/monitoring-future/monitoring-future-study-trends-in-prevalence-various-drugs
• National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016). Teen Drug Use: Monitoring The Future 2016. Retrieved from #
• Scutti, S. (2016, December 13). Teen drug use is down, survey says.
• Wadley, J. & Lee, J. (2016, December 13). Vaping, hookah use by US teens declines for first time [Press Release]. Retrieved from #

---