Drug Use Among American High School Students, and Other Young Adults, National Trends Through 1985

• NCJ Number: 118212
• Author(s): L D Johnston; P M O'Malley; J G Bachman
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 237 pages
• Grant Number(s): 3-R01-DA-01411
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse; US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Since 1985, the decline in the use of a number of illicit drugs among high school seniors, college students, and young adults has reversed.

Abstract

Among high school seniors only, there appears to be an increase in the use of opiates other than heroin. Marijuana, cocaine, and stimulants are the three classes of illicit drugs which now impact an appreciable proportions of young Americans in their late teens and twenties. Heavy college drinking among males in college is common and becoming more common, but among high school students there is a decline in such behavior. The use of cigarettes has remained stable, but within the college population there is a substantial sex difference in smoking rates: The female daily smoking rate is 17.5 percent compared with 10.0 percent for males. Rates of involvement in illicit drugs is still extremely high. 34 tables, 12 notes, and 11 references.