NIDA ‘Future’ survey finds declining teen substance use
FORWARD MOVEMENT A recent survey of American middle and high-school students found that students’ use of most substances in 2015 continued its flat or downward trends of recent years—many dropping to the lowest levels in the history of the survey. These mostly positive results, gathered by University of Michigan for its annual Monitoring the Future survey, provide some cause for optimism about long-term trends, according to researchers. For example, fewer 12th graders than ever (17.2 percent) reported binge drinking five or more drinks on a single occasion in the past two weeks, and fewer than ever (37.7 percent) reported being drunk in the past year.The MTF has been conducted annually since 1975. Positive trends Teenage smoking has seen a downward trend year-over-year, according to the study. Among high school seniors, 5.5 percent reported daily cigarette smoking, down from 6.7 percent a year ago and 24.6 percent at its peak in 1997.This decline in cigarette use means that, for the first time, fewer seniors are daily cigarette smokers than are daily marijuana users. Use of inhalants, traditionally a concern in the youngest age groups, was at its lowest levels ever, and the drop in lifetime use of these substances since last year’s survey was significant among 8th and 10th graders (9.4 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively, down from 10.8 percent and 8.7 percent last year). Similarly, teens’ use of synthetic marijuana has
decreased in all grades surveyed since 2012, when the survey first started tracking use of these drugs. Non-medical use of prescription pain relievers was down significantly from five years ago and heroin use was at its lowest levels in the history of the survey —a positive note in the current opioid crisis that continues to strongly affect other age groups. However, non-medical use of the prescription stimulant Adderall remains high: 7.5 percent of 12th graders and 5.2 percent of 10th graders reported non-medical use of the medication. Marijuana use still remains high among teens, who may be vulnerable to the drug’s long-term, adverse effects on brain development.
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