Overall Teen Drug Use Down While Vaping Rises

(Spring 2018) Results from the 2017 Monitoring the Future Survey of 43,702 students from 360 schools indicate that overall drug use among adolescents is down.

The survey results found a decline in the use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription opioids and stimulants. Rates of illicit drugs (excluding marijuana) were the lowest they have been in over 20 years, and even though opioids and overdose deaths had risen among adults, prescription opioid use had dropped significantly over the past five years among 12^th graders — the only group surveyed in this specific category). Vicodin use declined substantially as well across all age groups; down 51% in 8^th graders, 67% in 10^th graders and 74% in 12^th graders. The survey respondents shared that drugs like Vicodin were not as easy to get as they used to be and the number of 12^th graders who said the drug was readily available went down 18.2% since 2010.

Marijuana usage rates have remained fairly consistent through the years, making small shifts occasionally, despite the legalization of medical marijuana in several states. According to the survey, the only change in marijuana use is in the way students are consuming it. In states where it is legal, students were less inclined to smoke the drug and more inclined to vaporize it or consume it in an edible form.

In addition to the declining use of illicit drugs, cigarette use continued to plummet and was at the lowest levels it’s ever been in the history of the survey. However, there is still a concern about nicotine use due to the rise in “vaping.” A vaping device can vaporize a substance, such as nicotine or marijuana, into an inhalant. Some students perceive vaping as a “healthier” alternative to cigarettes because it does not contain carcinogens.  However, vaping can still pose a health risk because many contain nicotine. Of the 12^th graders surveyed, 51.8% were vaping “just flavoring,” 1 in 20 vaped marijuana and 1 in 10 vaped nicotine. The concern about vaping for some is that it may lead to cigarette use in cases where teens are vaping nicotine.

Overall, teen drug use has declined over the years and health officials view this as a positive trend. Young adults seem to be understanding the risk associated with consuming drugs, alcohol and tobacco in addition to prescription drugs like Vicodin being more difficult to access.

Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF), funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has been used to measure drug, alcohol and cigarette use among students nationwide. Students in the 8^th, 10^th and 12^th grades made up the age grouping. The survey participants were presented with a series of questions about their drug use and general opinions on drugs based on their lifetime, the past year and the past month.

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