Teen alcohol and drug use keeps declining
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Teen drug and alcohol use reached a record low this year, according to survey results released this month.
Why it matters: The downward trend began during the widespread isolation of the pandemic. Delaying first-time substance use until after adolescence could decrease addiction, researchers said.
- Declines were most notable among alcohol, marijuana and nicotine vaping in the annual Monitoring the Future study of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students.
- Nicotine pouch use was an exception. About 6% of 12th graders saying they've used them, up from about 3% in 2023.
By the numbers: Increases in abstention, which is considered no use within the previous 30 days, were statistically significant among 12th and 10th graders.
- Alcohol: 42% of 12th graders reported consumption, down from 75% in 1997. Among 10th graders, it fell to 26% from 65%. And among eighth graders, it dropped to 13% from 46%.
- Marijuana: Levels were the lowest they've been in the past three decades, at 26% for 12th graders and 16% for 10th graders.
- Nicotine vaping: 12th grade use was 21% compared to 35% in 2020 and 19% in 2017.
State of play: Teen substance use dropped at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pattern tracks with young adults' shifting views of moderate drinking and their reduced reported consumption.
- Experimentation often occurs with friends, and teens weren't socializing as much in the early years of the pandemic.
- Experts believed that drug use would resurge once social distancing restrictions were lifted, per Richard Miech, principal investigator of the study. That hasn't happened.
The other side: Teen use of nicotine pouches increased significantly.
- The FDA raised alarms about retailers selling nicotine pouches to underage consumers earlier this year. Pouches aren't listed by the FDA as recommended nicotine replacement products.
- "It's hard to know if we're seeing the start of something, or not," Miech told the AP.
- Products meant to help smokers ween off cigarettes can end up attracting youth users when they're freely on the market, experts told Axios earlier this year.
Go deeper: Meet "Zynfluencers": Smokeless nicotine pouches are having a moment
