Survey: 31% of 12th graders reported substance use in 2023

Adolescent substance use in 2023 stayed below pre-pandemic levels, according to new data from the Monitoring the Future survey.

About 31% of 12^th graders, 20% of 10^th graders and 11% of eighth graders reported any illicit substance use in the past year. The most common substances they used were alcohol, nicotine vaping and cannabis.

“We’ve been watching closely to see if the big declines in teen substance use after the pandemic would persist, or if substance use levels would bounce back when students returned to school. We’re glad to see that the declines have persisted,” Richard Miech, Ph.D., M.P.H., team lead of the Monitoring the Future study at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, said in a press release. “These results support a growing body of evidence showing that a one-year delay in drug use during adolescence can lower future trajectories of drug use for years to come.”

The University of Michigan conducted the annual survey with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). It included more than 22,000 students in 235 schools.

NIDA noted that despite adolescent substance use being stable or declining, overdose deaths among teens ages 15-19 years have been rising, largely due to illicit fentanyl.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., said in a press release that “it remains crucial to continue to educate young people about the risks and harms of substance use in an open and honest way, emphasizing that illicit pills and other substances may contain deadly fentanyl.”

Alcohol

About 46% of 12^th graders in the 2023 survey said they used alcohol in the past year, down from 52% in 2022 and 73% in 2001. Past-year alcohol use among younger students held steady from 2022 to 2023 at 31% for 10^th graders and 15% for eighth graders.

In the 30 days before the survey, about 24% of 12^th graders, 14% of 10^th graders and 6% of eighth graders consumed alcohol. Those rates were down for 12^th graders and stable for younger students compared to 2022.

Nicotine vaping

About 23% of 12^th graders reported past-year nicotine vaping in 2023, down from 27% the previous year. Rates among 10^th graders also declined from 21% in 2022 to 18% and remained stable at 11% for eighth graders.

In the 30 days before the survey, about 17% of 12^th graders and 12% of 10^th graders vaped nicotine, both of which declined from 2022. Roughly 7% of eighth graders vaped nicotine in the past 30 days, about the same as 2022.

Cannabis

Past-year cannabis use in 2023 was reported by 29% of 12^th graders, 18% of 10^th graders and 8% of eighth graders, all similar to the previous year.

Use of cannabis in the past 30 days also held steady at 18% of 12th graders, 10% of 10^th graders and 5% of eighth graders.

Delta-8 THC

For the first time, the survey asked 12^th graders about use of delta-8, a psychoactive substance found in cannabis sativa plant that is derived from hemp. About 11% of 12^th graders reported using delta-8 in the past year. Dr. Miech said his team was surprised to see levels that high.

“Moving forward, as policies and access to this drug change, it will be important to continue to monitor use of this drug among teens.” he said.

Illicit drug use other than marijuana

Use of illicit drugs other than marijuana held stable for all three grades at 7% of 12^th graders, 5% of 10^th graders and just under 5% of eighth graders.

Narcotics other than heroin

About 1% of 12^th graders reported use of narcotics other than heroin in the past year, matching the all-time low from 2021 and down from nearly 10% in 2004. Data was not available for younger students.

Abstaining

About 63% of 12^th graders abstained from alcohol, marijuana or nicotine over the past month along with 77% of 10^th graders and 87% of eighth graders.

Resources

• Monitoring the Future study
• Monitoring the Future data tables
• AAP policy Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment
• AAP policy Protecting Children and Adolescents From Tobacco and Nicotine
• AAP clinical report Counseling Parents and Teens About Marijuana Use in the Era of Legalization of Marijuana
• AAP policy Alcohol Use by Youth
• Information for parents from HealthyChildren.org about marijuana, http://bit.ly/2zShHNc, talking to teens about drugs and alcohol, http://bit.ly/1P8gVsC, and vaping, http://bit.ly/2SPHgDf