The percentage of teenagers who used an illegal drug by the time they graduated high school.

The percentage of teenagers that knows someone who smokes, drinks or uses drugs during the school day.

Illegal Drug Abuse

2.7% of adolescents or 681,000 had an illegal drug use disorder in 2018, meaning clinically significant impairment including health issues, escalating use, and failure to meet responsibilities at home, work, or school:

1% had a marijuana use disorder, compared to 5.9% of young adults aged 18-25

Less than 0.1% of adolescents had a cocaine use disorder, compared to 0.6% of young adults

Less than 0.1% of adolescents had a heroin use disorder, compared to 0.3% of young adults

1% had a meth use disorder, compared to 0.4% of young adults

In 2018, 4.2 million or 16.7% of adolescents between age 12 and 17 used illegal drugs in the previous year:

5% of adolescents used marijuana in the past year

4% or 112,000 adolescents used cocaine, including 4,000 who used crack

1% or 10,000 adolescents used heroin in the past year

2% or 43,000 adolescents used methamphetamine in the past year

5% or 376,000 adolescents used hallucinogens (LSD, PCP, Ecstasy, ketamine, mushrooms, etc.

7% or 662,000 adolescents used inhalants

In recent years, the use of another synthetic drug called “bath salts” (synthetic cathinones) among youth has become a major concern. The MTF survey began tracking past-year cathinone use, and since 2012, there has been a decrease among 12th graders from 1.3% to 0.6% in 2017. Use among 10th graders has declined to 0.4% from a peak of 0.9% in 2013.

In 2018, the states with the most juvenile arrests for drug abuse were:

Wyoming, with 1082 arrests

South Dakota, with 935 arrests

Utah, with 636 arrests

Nebraska, with 605 arrests

North Dakota, with 584 arrests

Marijuana

The most commonly used drug among youth, marijuana causes negative effects over time that are often difficult for users to discern. 43% of college students and 36% of high schoolers report frequent use.

Every day in 2018, 3,700 adolescents between ages 12 and 17 tried marijuana for the first time. To compare:

Per day, 3,300 young adults (18-25) initiated the use of marijuana

Per day, 1,400 persons 26 and older initiated use of marijuana

Teens are increasingly using marijuana through vaping as it is easier to transport and hide. In 2019, usage of marijuana via vaping among high schoolers had significantly increased:

9% of 8 th -graders

-graders 6% of 10 th graders, an increase from 7% in 2017

graders, an increase from 7% in 2017 14% of 12th graders, an increase from 7.5% in 2017 marking the largest increase recorded

The problems stemming from marijuana use are only amplified in youth:

25-50% of daily marijuana users become addicted to it, especially with increasingly stronger levels of THC bred into popular strains

Teenage girls who use marijuana are 5 times more likely to face depression by age 21

Students who use marijuana have poorer educational outcomes than those who do not

A month of abstinence from marijuana improves memory in adolescents

In Colorado, where marijuana is legal for those over 21, youth use it at a rate 40% higher than the national average with 7.89% of adolescents between age 12-17 trying it 02% of adolescents aged 12-17 use marijuana in the last month compared to the 6.46% national rate 34% of adolescents dabbed marijuana, 36% ingested it as edibles In 2017, marijuana represented the nature of over half of law enforcement contact with students In 2018, marijuana usage among students represented 77% of law enforcement referrals compared to 23% other drug violations, and 71% of expulsions compared to 29% expulsions for other drug violations



Marijuana concentrates or “dabs” can contain 40-90% THC, which could be higher than 4 times the amount of THC in marijuana. These concentrates can cause serious harm to individuals unaware of the level of THC they are consuming or from the toxic chemicals produced during the process, such as benzene and methacrolein.

Synthetic Cannabinoids/K2/”Fake” Marijuana

Synthetic cannabinoids (street names Spice, K2, Blaze, RedX Dawn, Paradise, Demon, Black Magic, Spike, Mr. Nice Guy, Ninja, Zohai, Dream, Genie, Sence, Smoke, Skunk, Serenity, Yucatan, Fire, and Crazy Clown) are marketed as a cheap alternative to marijuana but are in fact dangerous or even life-threatening. Marketed as “incense” or “potpourri” they are often found in convenience stores, head shops, and on the internet. They might be labeled “not for human consumption” but are most definitely intended as a psychoactive drug targeted to youth and lower-income populations.

As of April 2020, there were nearly 300 exposures to synthetic cannabinoids reported by the American Association of Poison Control Centers* In 2019, there were 1,993 total, a significant decrease from 7,792 in 2015

Spice is the 2nd most commonly abused drug after marijuana among high schoolers and can result in acute psychotic episodes, stroke, seizures, permanent brain damage/lowered IQ, or death

Synthetic cannabinoids bind to the same receptors in the brain as marijuana but they are hundreds of times more potent and cause far more damage

The chemicals used in spice change constantly to skirt laws. In 2018, over 160 cases of severe bleeding and 4 deaths occurred in New Haven, CT within 2 days after K2 Spice was sold that contained ingredients used in rat poison

Between 2011 and 2017, over 31,000 calls to US poison control centers were made relating to the use of spice

Spice is usually smoked in the form of chemicals sprayed on some sort of plant material but is also available as a liquid to be vaped

Beginning in 2017, law enforcement/laboratories have discovered a rising amount of spice laced with fentanyl, the synthetic opioid responsible for more deaths than any other drug since 2018

*You can reach your local poison control center by calling the Poison Help hotline: 1-800-222-1222. To save the number in your mobile phone, text POISON to 797979.

Prescription Drug Abuse

In 2018, prescription drugs were also abused by adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, with 310,000 using these drugs for the first time in the previous year:

5% or 369,000 adolescents abused prescription stimulants such as amphetamines, methylphenidates, anorectic stimulants, modafinil, Adderall, Desoxyn, etc.

8% or 460,000 adolescents abused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives, such as benzodiazepine tranquilizers like lorazepam, clonazepam, or diazepam products, muscle relaxants, or benzodiazepine sedatives

8% or 695,000 of adolescents abused pain relievers such as hydrocodone products, oxycodone products, and buprenorphine

Alcohol Abuse in Youth

6% of adolescents between age 12 and 17 had an alcohol use disorder

1% of young adults between the age of 18 and 25 were regular alcohol users

2 million or 4.7% of adolescents between age 12 and 17 were regular binge drinkers, compared to 5.8% in 2015

131,000 or 1 out of every 200 adolescents were heavy drinkers, engaging in binge drinking on 5 or more days within the past month

Marijuana and alcohol consumed together is the most frequent combination of substances involved in car accidents.

Alcohol increases the level of THC (marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient) in the blood