Drug Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders (1995-1997)

National Institute on Drug Abuse -  NIDA NOTES
Tearoff
Volume 13, Number 2 (July, 1998)

Trends in Drug Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders

Data from NIDA's 1997 Monitoring the Future study show the percentages during the past 3 years of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who used drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. The University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research has conducted the survey among a representative sample of 12th graders each year since 1975; 8th and 10th graders were surveyed for the first time in 1991. Percentages for daily use of some drugs were not included because most were statistically unreliable. "Lifetime" percentages refer to students who reported using the drug at least once in their lives. "Past Year" percentages are for any reported use in the past 12 months, "30-day" percentages are for any reported use in the past 30 days, and "daily" percentages are for reported daily use in the past 30 days. For highlights of the survey, see "Increases in Teen Drug Use Appear to Level Off,".


8th Graders 10th Graders 12th Graders
1994 1995 1996 1994 1995 1996 1994 1995 1996

MARIJUANA/HASHISH

Lifetime

19.9 23.1 22.6 34.1 39.8 42.3 41.7 44.9 49.6

Past Year

15.8 18.3 17.7 28.7 33.6 34.8 34.7 35.8 38.5

Past 30 Days

9.1 11.3 10.2 17.2 20.4 20.5 21.2 21.9 23.7

Daily

0.8 1.5 1.1 2.8 3.5 3.7 4.6 4.9 5.8

INHALANTS

Lifetime

21.6 21.2 21.0 19.0 19.3 18.3 17.4 16.6 16.1

Past Year

12.8 12.2 11.8 9.6 9.5 8.7 8.0 7.6 6.7

Past 30 Days

6.1 5.8 5.6 3.5 3.3 3.0 3.2 2.5 2.5

HALLUCINOGENS

Lifetime

5.2 5.9 5.4 9.3 10.5 10.5 12.7 14.0 15.1

Past Year

3.6 4.1 3.7 7.2 7.8 7.6 9.3 10.1 9.8

Past 30 Days

1.7 1.9 1.8 3.3 2.8 3.3 4.4 3.5 3.9

COCAINE

Lifetime

4.2 4.5 4.4 5.0 6.5 7.1 6.0 7.1 8.7

Past Year

2.6 3.0 2.8 3.5 4.2 4.7 4.0 4.9 5.5

Past 30 Days

1.2 1.3 1.1 1.7 1.7 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.3

CRACK COCAINE

Lifetime

2.7 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.3 3.6 3.0 3.3 3.9

Past Year

1.6 1.8 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.4

Past 30 Days

0.7 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.9

HEROIN

Lifetime

2.3 2.4 2.1 1.7 2.1 2.1 1.6 1.8 2.1

Past Year

1.4 1.6 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.0 1.2

Past 30 Days

0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5

STIMULANTS

Lifetime

13.1 13.5 12.3 17.4 17.7 17.0 15.3 15.3 16.5

Past Year

8.7 9.1 8.1 11.9 12.4 12.1 9.3 9.5 10.2

Past 30 Days

4.2 4.6 3.8 5.3 5.5 5.1 4.0 4.1 4.8

ALCOHOL

Lifetime

54.5 55.3 53.8 70.5 71.8 72.0 80.7 79.2 81.7

Past Year

45.3 46.5 45.5 63.5 65.0 65.2 73.7 72.5 74.8

Past 30 Days

24.6 26.2 24.5 38.8 40.4 40.1 51.3 50.8 52.7

Daily

0.7 1.0 0.8 1.7 1.6 1.7 3.5 3.7 3.9

CIGARETTES (ANY USE)

Lifetime

46.4 49.2 47.3 57.6 61.2 60.2 64.2 63.5 65.4
Past Year

 NA

Past 30 Days

19.1 21.0 19.4 27.9 30.4 29.8 33.5 34.0 36.5

1/2 pack + per day

3.4 4.3 3.5 8.3 9.4 8.6 12.4 13.0 14.3

STEROIDS

Lifetime

2.0 1.8 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.3 1.9 2.4

Past Year

1.0 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4

Past 30 Days

0.6 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.7 1.0

* Indicates less than 0.05 percent; NA indicated data not available

NIDA NOTES - Volume 13 Number 2

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