More teenagers are abstaining from alcohol, marijuana, cigarette and e-cigarette use, continuing a trend that started during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows. The majority of teenagers in the U.S. do not drink, smoke or use marijuana, a new report shows.
The percentage of teens abstaining from alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in 2024 was the highest since 2017, when the annual Monitoring the Future study began tracking the figure. The percentage of 12th-grade students who abstained from drug use was 67% in 2024, compared to 53% in 2017. Similarly, the percentage of 10th-graders who abstained rose from 69% to 80%. Abstention rates remained fairly level for eighth-graders, rising from 87% to 90%.
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Abstention was defined as not having used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
"I expected adolescent drug use would rebound at least partially after the large declines that took place during the (COVID-19) pandemic onset in 2020, which were among the largest ever recorded," said Richard Miech, who led the study at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. "Many experts in the field had anticipated that drug use would resurge as the pandemic receded and social distancing restrictions were lifted. As it turns out, the declines have not only lasted but have dropped further."
The use of nicotine pouches, however, doubled among 12th-graders between 2023 and 2024, the survey found. Nicotine pouches – which can be easily concealed inside the cheek – do not contain tobacco but contain nicotine, a highly-addictive stimulant that is particularly dangerous to adolescents whose brains are still developing, according to Yale Medicine . The use of nicotine pouches went up among 12th-graders to 6% in 2024; among 10th-graders, usage rose from 2% to 3%
The decreases in alcohol use follow a downward trajectory that began in the late 1990s. In 2024, 42% of 12th-graders reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, a substantial drop from 75% in 1997. Among 10th-graders, the percentage fell to 26% from 65% […]
Fewer teens are using alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana than before the pandemic
