Good news includes:
- Use of any illicit drug other than marijuana decreased (modestly) for lifetime, past year and past month use among 10th graders
- Declines in overall use of stimulants in all grades (e.g. use of methamphetamine is down 2/3 since 1999)
- Teen smoking rates are at or near record lows for all grades (based on historical MTF data)
- Gradual declines in alcohol use in all grades, particularly amongst 10th graders in all measures of use.
Not so-good news includes:
- Statistically insignificant increases in past year use of any illicit drug other than marijuana among 8th and 12th graders
- Decreases in marijuana use have stalled (there had been a consistent decline in use since the mid-90’s)
- Perceived harmfulness and disapproval of marijuana has slightly decreased among 8th graders
- Declines over several years in perceived harmfulness of LSD among 12th graders
- Declines in perceived harmfulness and disapproval of use of inhalants among 8th graders
- Continued high rate of prescription drug abuse (steady over 6 years)
For more information see:
- Various stimulant drugs show continuing gradual declines among teens in 2008, most illicit drugs hold steady (MTF 2008 Full Press Release on Drug Use from the University of Michigan) (12/11/08)
- Annual 2008 Monitoring the Future Findings (NIDA News, 12/11/2008)
- Recession in Illegal Drug Market Signaled by Falling Youth Use, With Higher Prices and Decreased Purity for Cocaine Nationwide (ONDCP News Release, 12/11/08)
- Monitoring the Future Web site
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