According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse‘s annual survey, drug and alcohol use among teenagers in the United States has dropped dramatically in 2021. The researchers discovered the largest drop in teen drug usage single-year drop since 1975.
“The 2021 survey reported significant decreases in use across many substances, including those most commonly used in adolescence – alcohol, marijuana, and vaped nicotine,” reads a press release. The survey encouraged students from various classes to gather and report on their substance use over a variety of time periods. Responses from over 32,000 students in public and private schools in the United States were collected as part of the survey.
Marijuana usage has come down at a slower pace
Underage alcohol abuse among 10th and 12th graders fell to 28.5 percent and 46.5 percent, respectively, in 2021. Earlier the numbers were 40.7 percent and 55.3 percent in 2020. Marijuana usage has come down at a slower pace but remains below last year’s levels. Vaping remains the most popular way for teens to get nicotine. But it fell from 31 percent to 20 percent among 10th graders and from 35 percent to 27 percent among 12th graders. Illicit drug use falls at a similar rate. Only 5.1 percent of tenth graders reported using any illegal drug other than marijuana in 2017, compared to 8.6 percent in 2020. Twelfth graders had slightly higher rates this year, at 7.2 percent, but this was down from 11.4 percent in 2020.
There is no single explanation for why the rate of teen drug abuse is down in 2021. But lead researcher Dr. Richard A. Miech agrees with Dr. Volcow that the COVID-19 pandemic plays a significant role. He expresses hope that these findings will lead to a better understanding of drug use patterns among adolescents. And that the effects will be long-lasting. Teenagers’ substance abuse habits remain a central focus for researchers. Who are concerned about how it will impact their health or development.
Nora Volkow, MD, NIDA director, in the press release said, “We have never seen such dramatic decreases in drug use among teens in just one year. This data is however unprecedented. And highlights one unexpected potential consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused seismic shifts in the day-to-day lives of adolescents.”