Decrease in Illicit Drug Use Among Nation's Teens, But Prescription Abuse Remains High

The 2006 Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders indicates that their past-month use of illicit drugs dropped 23.2 percent since 2001.  By contrast, abuse of prescription opioids remains at unacceptable high levels. The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, showed past month marijuana use for all three grades combined declined significantly from 2005 to 2006.  Further, since 2001, past-month use of marijuana for all three grades combined decreased by almost 25 percent. There was also good news about teen alcohol consumption and smoking.  Cigarette smoking is at an all-time low for all three grades, and past-month alcohol use continued to trend downward.

Of significant concern is the finding that past-year use of Vicodin remained high among all three grades. Despite a drop from 2005 to 2006 in past year abuse of OxyContin among 12th graders, there has been no such decline among the 8th and 10th grade students. There is also concern about nonmedical use of over-the-counter drugs, with data showing that some percentage of all grades reported taking cold or cough medicines during the past year to get high.

“We should all take pride in seeing a drop in the percentage of teenagers who abuse drugs, a key goal in the President’s National Drug Control Strategy," said NIH Director Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni.  “But the rise in prescription drug use among the younger grades and the intentional abuse of over-the-counter medications are very disturbing. These findings point to the continued need to educate our young people about the potential for harm when drugs are taken without a physician’s supervision.”

“There has been a substance abuse sea change among American teens,” said John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.  “They are getting the message that dangerous drugs damage their lives and limit their futures.  We know that if people don’t start using drugs during their teen years, they are very unlikely to go on to develop drug problems later in life.  That’s why this sharp decline in teen drug use is such important news. It means that there will be less addiction, less suffering, less crime, lower health costs, and higher achievement for this upcoming generation of Americans.”

Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related problems among adolescent students nationwide.  Nearly 50,000 students from 410 public and private schools in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades participated in this year’s survey.  The survey has been conducted since its inception by investigators at the University of Michigan.