Illegal Drugs

 NATIONAL INTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE       

    

1. Vaping
2. Nicotine & Other Tobacco
3. Marijuana
4. Alcohol
5. Opioid
6. Other Illicit Drugs

More than 42,500 students from nearly 400 public and private schools across the country participated in this year’s Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey of drug use and attitudes among American 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. Encouraging trends continue to be seen for cigarette use, with past month use down by approximately 20-30 percent compared to the mid-1990’s. Declines were seen in five-year trends of lifetime, past year, past month and binge alcohol use and in overall rates of lifetime, past year and past month illicit drug use, excluding marijuana, among 10th and 12th graders. Notably, misuse of prescription opioids among high school seniors is at its lowest rate since the survey began assessing it. Despite these promising trends, the 2019 MTF results show a continued dramatic increase in vaping.

Some of the most common reasons that high school seniors reported they vape are to, “experiment”, “because it tastes good”, “to have a good time with my friends”, and “to relax or relieve tension.” Over the past year, the two-fold rise in the percent of 12th graders that say they vape because they are “hooked” is of particular concern. This report supports other published findings that flavor additives, especially sweet flavors like fruit and mint, are appealing to youth. Overall, reported rates of past month vaping appear to exceed any other kind of substance use, including alcohol and marijuana, for all three grades; and in each grade past year vaping is second only to alcohol.  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...