Drug use among adolescents in America is on the decline
Image: Getty
Fewer American teens in middle and high school are using drugs like alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine than ever before, per the University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future survey funded by the US government. Puff-puff? Pass🙅.
The research, which includes data from 24,000 US students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, found the use of alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine among those populations was lower in 2024 than at any point since at least 2017 (when the survey started).
- 8th graders: 10% used substances recently in 2024, roughly the same as last year, but below the 13% reported in 2017.
- 10th graders: 20% reported using at least one of the substances recently, compared with 23% last year and 31% in 2017.
- 12th graders: This year, 33% reported using at least one of the drugs in the past 30 days, down from 37% in 2023 and 47% from 2017.
Driving the trend: While many researchers expected teen drug use to rebound following a sharp decline during the 2020 pandemic, drug use has instead continued shifting downwards.
According to Richard Miech, team lead of Monitoring the Future, this surprising development signals that pandemic lockdowns had a deeper influence on teens’ drug habits. As lots of teens who experiment with drugs often start in the 9th grade and are influenced by older kids doing it, being on lockdown “stopped the cycle” of new kids coming in and being influenced to use drugs, per Miech.
- Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found ~21% of teens who used an illicit drug at least once say they did so due to peer pressure.
But…While drug use is down, other recent research has shown overdose deaths among teens are rising, with many deaths linked to illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
📊 Flash poll: In general terms, how would you classify the issue of drug use among US teens in middle and high school?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that abstinence movements like “Just Say No” are not enough, and that more direct action is needed to warn youth about the dangers of drug abuse and directly protect them from the risk of using them.
- Others contend that lawmakers and school officials should do more to stop middle- and high-schoolers from vaping, which has grown popular in recent years thanks to the spread of technically illegal flavored disposables.
- “Opinion: ‘Just say no’ can kill kids. Teach them how to stay safe in the fentanyl era.” –Scott Hadland and Joseph Friedman, Los Angeles Times
- “Editorial: Protect state’s youths from flavored vapes, tobacco.” –The Everett Herald Editorial Board
- “Editorial: Colorado teens are not safe from drugs in juvenile corrections.” –Denver Post Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Several commentators urge lawmakers to take more direct action in preventing youths from using e-cigarettes and vaping products, such as raising the tobacco purchasing age, banning vaping products altogether, providing mental health services for youth impacted by drug abuse, etc.
- Others contend that the federal government’s efforts to produce smear campaigns and ads against vaping may be the very thing that causes youth to continue using it and that the best way to ensure further decline is through not bringing such attention to it.
- “The Push to Ban ‘Mother’s Milk and Cookies.” –Wall Street Journal Future View
- “COMMENTARY: Teen vape fad sputtering despite government’s best efforts.” –Christian Josi, Las Vegas Review-Journal
- “Doctors: Today’s potent marijuana is spawning public health dangers that we shouldn’t ignore.” –Cory Franklin and Jerrold B. Leikin, Chicago Tribune
Share this!
Recent Discussion stories
Discussion
| December 18, 2024An update on Syria’s new power vacuum
🇸🇾 The decades-long regime in Syria led by President Bashar al-Assad was toppled last week, ushering in a period of transition – and major uncertainty – following ~14 years of civil war.
Discussion
| December 16, 2024Gender-affirming care for minors is in the global spotlight
🏥⚧️ The UK banned puberty-suppressing treatments for minors with gender dysphoria (save for clinical trials), becoming the latest country to restrict access to treatments for trans youth.
Discussion
| December 13, 2024The UnitedHealth CEO shooting has unleashed online anger with health insurers
🏥 More details are emerging about the suspect in last week’s shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, as the incident has triggered a wave of online anger towards the US healthcare industry.
You've made it this far...
Let's make our relationship official, no 💍 or elaborate proposal required. Learn and stay entertained, for free.👇
All of our news is 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime; the quiz takes ~10 seconds to complete