NCJ Number
167188
Date Published
1996
Length
34 pages
Annotation
According to the 22nd national survey in the Monitoring the Future Study, illicit drug use among American teenagers rose in 1996.
Abstract
The increase in the proportion of students using any illicit drug in the 12 months prior to the survey continued a steady increase that began in 1991 among 8th graders and in 1992 among 10th and 12th graders. For 8th graders, the proportion using any illicit drug during the prior 12 months more than doubled between 1991 and 1996 from 11 to 24 percent. For 10th graders, this proportion nearly doubled between 1992 and 1996 from 20 to 38 percent. For 12th graders, this proportion rose between 1992 and 1996 from 27 to 40 percent. Marijuana accounted for much of the overall increase in illicit drug use. Of particular concern was the continuing rise in daily marijuana use. The prevalence of LSD rose among all three grade levels in 1996, continuing longer-term increases that began in 1991. Hallucinogens other than LSD exhibited gradual increases in 1996 among all three grade levels. The use of cocaine in any form continued a gradual upward climb, but changes between 1995 and 1996 did not reach statistical significance. Crack cocaine continued a gradual upward climb among 8th and 10th graders but not among 12th graders. The use of tranquilizers, barbiturates, and opiates other than heroin increased modestly in 1996. The long-term gradual rise in the use of amphetamines continued at 8th and 10th grade levels, but use was fairly level among 12th graders. While annual prevalence rates for heroin remained quite low in 1996, compared to most other drugs, they were still 2 to 2.5 times higher than they were a few years ago. Alcohol use remained fairly stable among all grade levels. When young people saw a particular drug as dangerous or disapproved of by peers, they were less likely to use it. Detailed statistical data are tabulated on drug use trends among secondary school students. 11 tables and 8 figures