Current Drug Abuse Trends Among Youth
National Trends:
The following information is adapted from the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA) website, www.drugabuse.gov/infofax/HSYouthtrends.html. The information is based on results of the Monitoring The Future Survey, which asks students about their drug use patterns. The results presented below display illicit drug use by 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students for the years 2000, 2001, 2002. The results list the percentage of students who stated that they used the type of drug at least once within a 30-day period before taking the survey.
National Drug Use Trends By Grade
8th Grade |
10th Grade |
12th Grade |
|||||||
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Alcohol | 22.4 |
21.5 |
19.6 |
41.0 |
39.0 |
35.4 |
50.0 |
49.8 |
48.6 |
| Cigarettes | 14.6 |
12.2 |
10.7 |
23.9 |
21.3 | 17.7 |
31.4 |
29.5 |
26.7 |
| Smokeless Tobacco | 4.2 |
4.0 |
3.3 |
6.1 |
6.9 |
6.1 |
7.6 |
7.8 |
6.5 |
| Marijuana/Hashish | 9.1 |
9.2 |
8.3 |
19.7 |
19.8 |
17.8 |
21.6 |
22.4 |
21.5 |
| Inhalants | 4.5 |
4.0 |
3.8 |
2.6 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
2.2 |
1.7 |
1.5 |
| Hallucinogens | 1.2 |
1.6 |
1.2 |
2.3 |
2.1 | 1.6 |
2.6 |
3.3 |
2.3 |
| LSD | 1.0 |
1.0 |
0.7 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
0.7 |
1.6 |
2.3 |
0.7 |
| Cocaine | 1.2 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.8 |
1.3 |
1.6 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
2.3 |
| Crack Cocaine | 0.8 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.9 |
0.7 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
| Heroin | 0.5 |
0.6 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.7 |
0.4 |
0.5 |
| Tanquilizers | 1.4 |
1.2 |
1.2 |
2.5 |
2.9 |
2.9 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
3.3 |
| Anabolic Steroids | 0.8 |
0.7 |
0.8 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
1.3 |
1.4 |
| MDMA (Ecstacy) | 1.4 |
1.8 |
1.4 |
2.6 |
2.6 |
1.8 |
3.6 |
2.8 |
2.4 |
| Any Illicit Drug Use | 11.9 |
11.7 |
10.4 |
22.5 |
22.7 |
20.8 |
24.9 |
25.7 |
25.4 |
These results indicate
that alcohol is the most frequently abused drug among students in all three
grade levels. Alcohol abuse rates for 2002 range from approximately 20% in
8th grade to almost 50 % in 12th grade.
The second most commonly
abused drug is tobacco in cigarette form. Abuse rates of cigarettes
in 2002 range from nearly 11% in 8th grade to nearly 27% in 12th grade.
The third most commonly
abused drug is marijuana. Abuse rates for marijuana in 2002 range from slightly
over 8% in 8th grade to 21.5% in 12th grade.
Notably, all of these figures refer to use within 30 days before taking the survey. Percentages for less frequent use (for instance, use over the previous year) are higher.
Local Usage Patterns:
The following information is adapted from the Dane County Youth Assessment for the year 2000. The results indicate the percentage of students in Madison schools who report using the listed type of drug at least once per month over the previous year.
Local Drug Use By Grade In 2000
|
7th Grade |
8th Grade |
9th Grade |
10th Grade |
11th Grade |
12th Grade |
Beer/Wine/ |
6.7 |
13.3 |
21.5 |
31.9 |
39.2 |
45.4 |
Hard Liqour |
2.7 |
6.3 |
14.2 |
25.0 |
30.4 |
37.4 |
5 Or More Drinks |
1.9 |
4.3 |
7.3 |
10.1 |
13.5 |
19.1 |
Smoking Tobacco |
4.9 |
10.1 |
16.8 |
22.7 |
28.7 |
35.6 |
Other Tobacco |
0.6 |
1.0 |
1.8 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
3.7 |
Marijuana |
2.5 |
7.0 |
14.9 |
22.0 |
24.6 |
28.7 |
Inhalants |
0.9 |
1.3 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
Stimulants |
0.6 |
0.6 |
0.5 |
0.7 |
1.9 |
1.7 |
Hallucinogens |
0.4 |
0.6 |
1.7 |
2.2 |
2.9 |
5.5 |
Cocaine/Crack |
0.5 |
0.7 |
0.6 |
1.2 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
Anabolic Steroids |
0.7 |
1.0 |
0.7 |
0.8 |
1.0 |
2.0 |
Local use patterns are
consistent with national patterns, as the most frequently used drugs are
alcohol (in various forms), smoking tobacco, and marijuana.
Nearly 20% of high school
seniors reported having 5 or more drinks in a row at least once per month.
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Last Updated: Jan. 31, 2004
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