Historically, now is a good time for teenage liver disease. Or lungs.
Regular use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs among high school students has been on a long-term downward trend.
2023, 46% of seniors say they have drank alcohol during the year Before the interview; that’s down sharply from 88 percent in 1979, when the behavior was at its peak, according to the annual Monitoring the Future survey, a closely watched national poll of youth drug use. Similar declines in smoking rates were seen among eighth- and 10th-graders and among those three age groups.By 2023, only 15% of seniors will say they have smoked a cigarette in their lifetime, down from a peak 76% in 1977.
Youth illicit drug use has remained low and fairly stable over the past three decades, with some significant declines during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2023, 29% of high school students reported using Marijuana use last year was down from 37% in 2017 and down from a peak of 51% in 1979.
This good news comes with some sobering caveats. One is the sharp rise in drug overdose deaths among teenagers, with the number of teen deaths from fentanyl doubling from 2019 to 2020 and remaining at this level in subsequent years.
Dr. Nora Volkow studies drug and alcohol use. She has served as Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 2003. She sat down with The New York Times to discuss changing patterns and the reasons behind changing drug use trends.
What is the overall picture of teenagers and drug use?
What people don’t really realize is that drug use rates among young people, especially teenagers, are at their lowest risk in decades. This is also worth mentioning when it comes to legal alcohol and tobacco.
What do you think of this change?
A major factor is education and prevention activities. Certainly, campaigns to prevent smoking are among the most effective we have ever seen.
Policies implemented have also played a major role, not only setting the legal age for drinking and smoking at 21, but also strengthening the enforcement of these laws. You can then stem the progression from more readily available drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol, to illicit drugs. Teenagers are not exposed to advertising for legal drugs as they were in the past. All of these policies and interventions have downstream effects on illicit drug use.
Does teenagers’ use of social media have consequences?
Absolutely. Social media has changed opportunities for physical space with other teenagers. This reduces the likelihood that they will take drugs. This became very apparent when they closed schools due to Covid-19. During the pandemic, you’ve seen a huge decline in the use of many substances. This may be because teenagers cannot be around each other.
The interesting question is that although school has returned, the prevalence of substance abuse has not increased to pre-pandemic times. Has remained stable or continued to decline. This is a huge decline, a shift, and some drug use trends continue to slowly decline.
Ever thought that the stimulation of using digital devices might satisfy some of the same neurochemical experiences as drugs, or provide some sense of escapism?
Yes, it is possible. Changes in the types of reinforcers available to adolescents. It’s not just social media, like video games. Video games can be very reinforcing and can create compulsive use patterns. Therefore, you are transferring one reinforcer (a means of escape) to another reinforcer. This may be another factor.
Is it too simplistic to view declining drug use as good news?
If you look at it objectively, yes, this is very good news. Why? Because we know that the earlier these drugs are used, the greater the risk of addiction. It reduces the risk of these drugs interfering with your mental health, general health, ability to complete your education, and future job opportunities. This is definitely good news.
But we don’t want to be complacent.
Drug supplies are more dangerous, leading to an increase in overdose deaths. We are not exaggerating. I mean, taking one of these drugs will kill you.
How about vaping? Although it has been declining, usage is still much higher than cigarettes: 2021, About a quarter of high school students said they had used nicotine in the previous year. Why are teenagers boycotting cigarettes and flocking to e-cigarettes?
Most of the toxicity associated with tobacco is attributed to the burning of tobacco leaves. Despite nicotine’s addictive element, burning tobacco can cause cancer and most other adverse effects.
We are increasingly learning that vaping with nicotine has its own dangers, but this is not yet as fully understood as it is with tobacco. Another reason why e-cigarettes are so attractive to teens is the variety of flavors associated with them (candy flavors). Until the FDA made these flavors illegal, e-cigarettes became increasingly difficult to obtain.
My point is there is no reason why we should expose teenagers to nicotine. Because nicotine is very, very addictive.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We are also interested in cannabis and psychedelic drugs. People are intrigued by the idea that psychedelic drugs may have therapeutic benefits. To prevent these new trends in teen drug use, we need different strategies than those for alcohol or nicotine.
For example, we can say that if you take drugs such as alcohol or nicotine, it can lead to addiction. This is supported by extensive research. But warnings about addiction to drugs like marijuana and hallucinogens may not be as effective.
While marijuana can also be addictive, it may not be as addictive as nicotine or alcohol, and more research is needed in this area, especially with newer, more potent products. Psychedelic drugs generally do not cause addiction, but they can produce adverse psychological experiences that put you at risk for psychosis.
