Teen Drinking and Drug Use Is Staying Low After Historic Pandemic Drop, Studies Show
When you have teens in your home, it’s normal to be concerned about what they’re putting into their bodies. And when it comes to drugs and alcohol, with overdoses reaching record highs and fears of deadly fentanyl-laced pills, you’re not alone in wanting to keep your kiddos as safe as possible.
The opioid crisis remains a major concern, but the numbers for teens and drug and alcohol use are actually trending in a positive direction. Surprised? It’s actually continuing a trend that began in 2021, when the annual Monitoring the Future teen drug and alcohol survey recorded the largest-ever declines in use of cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine vaping. The question researchers had was whether that pandemic-fueled drop — likely due to lockdowns keeping teens away from classrooms and peers — would stick once society opened back up.
The answer, so far, is yes. The 2023 survey revealed that marijuana use has stayed at the low levels seen in 2021; nicotine vaping has continued to drop; and alcohol use, though more showing more fluctuation, remains low and dropped for the oldest teens surveyed. The number of 10th and 12th graders who have never tried alcohol, marijuana, or nicotine has also increased, to 54 percent and 38 percent, respectively.
The Monitoring the Future survey has tracked substance use in teens since 1975, surveying three different grade levels: 12th grade, 10th grade, and eighth grade (10th and eighth were added in 1991). The 2023 results come from surveying more than 22,000 students across those grade levels, from 235 public and private schools.
While alcohol, marijuana, and vaping nicotine were still the most commonly used substances among teens last year, the levels stayed much lower than they were before COVID. Over the previous 12 months of 2023, the survey showed that:
- 29 percent of 12th graders used marijuana; 48 percent used alcohol; and 23 percent vaped nicotine
- 18 percent of 10th graders used marijuana; 31 percent used alcohol; and 18 percent vaped nicotine
- 8 percent of eighth graders used marijuana; 15 percent used alcohol; and 11 percent vaped nicotine
The marijuana rates stayed mostly steady since the 2021 drop. For alcohol, eighth- and 10th grade use stayed steady while 12 grade use dropped from 52 percent; and for nicotine vaping, 12th- and 10th grade use dropped by about four percentage points each while eighth grade use stayed steady.
Elsewhere, cigarette use among teens was “at or near the lowest ever recorded by the survey since the start of the survey in 1975,” the report noted. The same was true for ecstasy (MDMA), cocaine, heroin, and smokeless tobacco. Use of a prescription drug without a doctor’s OK also remained at post-pandemic lows.
All in all, it’s hopeful news for parents concerned about teen drug use — and a good reminder to keep that line of communication open. Talking to teens about drugs and alcohol might feel awkward, but experts actually recommend starting these conversations when your child is as young as 6. “Kids are listening — even if we sometimes don’t think so,” Ralph Blackman, the CEO of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, previously told SheKnows. “These talks are making a big difference on our kids’ decisions to drink or not drink underage.”
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