Fewer Teens Drink or Use Illegal Drugs Now

Rates are at a record low for eighth-graders, the team at the University of Michigan and the National Institutes of Health found

Fewer American teenagers are using illegal drugs or drinking alcohol, researchers said. 

Rates are at a record low for eighth-graders, the team at the University of Michigan and the National Institutes of Health found, but there's a troubling increase in marijuana use among older teens in some states, NBC News reported.

The survey of 45,473 students in eighth, 10th and 12th grade at 372 public and private schools found 48 percent of 12th graders admit to having used a drug illegally in the past year, compared to 49 percent in 2015 and 54 percent in 2000. 

About a third of 10th graders have used any illicit drug and 17 percent of eighth graders have.

Contact Us