Federal

Teen Drug Use Down, But Drinking Holds Steady, U.S. Survey Finds

By Michelle R. Davis — September 06, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Teenagers these days are smoking less pot and cigarettes than they did a few years back, but drinking just as much alcohol, a new survey shows.

The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Sept. 6, found that the rate of marijuana use by those ages 12 to 17 dropped from 8.2 percent in 2002 to 6.7 percent last year. That trend was particularly strong among teenage boys, the report says.

“The trends in general are very encouraging,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt, whose department oversees the substance-abuse and mental-health-services administration, which conducted the survey.

See Also

For background, previous stories, and Web links, read Safety and Health.

“Fewer teens using drugs today means fewer Americans suffering destructive consequences tomorrow,” said John P.Walters, the White House’s director of national drug-control policy.

The overall rate of illicitdrug use by teenagers has also dropped, the survey also found; in 2006, 9.8 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds admitted to drug use in the past month, vs. 11.6 percent in 2002.

Still, the 2006 rates of both marijuana use and overall teen drug use remained essentially the same as the 2005 rates.

When it comes to underage drinking, about 10.8 million people ages 12 to 20, or 28.3 percent of that age group, reported having consumed alcohol in the previous month. Nineteen percent qualified as binge drinkers, and 6.2 percent were heavy drinkers.

Rates of alcohol use in that age group have remained steady since 2002, the survey found.

The national survey, which the federal government has conducted since 1971, collected information from about 67,500 people age 12 or older on a range of behaviors that included smoking, drinking, and use of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs.

Regarding tobacco use among those 12 to 17, the survey found the rate of smoking declined from 13 percent in 2002 to 10.4 percent in 2006. However, the use of smokeless tobacco rose slightly, going from 2 percent in 2002 to 2.4 percent in 2006.

The full report is available online at www.samhsa.gov.

A version of this article appeared in the September 12, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Viral AI Gaffe and Ed. Dept. Cuts: How Educators View Linda McMahon So Far
Here's what educators think about the education secretary's performance so far.
6 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks at the ASU+GSV Summit at the Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego on April 8, 2025.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks at the ASU+GSV Summit at the Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego on April 8, 2025.
Ariana Drehsler for Education Week
Federal Inside Trump's Full-Force Approach to Ban Trans Athletes and DEI in Schools
Trump’s return to the White House has brought a new era of aggressive investigations of entities that flout the president's orders.
8 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. The pair were announcing a lawsuit against the state of Maine over state policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Federal Letter to the Editor Public Education Benefits the American Worker and the American Economy
Our nation’s schools are central to our nation’s health and future, says this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Federal Opinion Federal Education Research Has Been 'Shredded.' What's Driving This?
How to understand why the Trump administration's axe fell so heavily on the Institute of Education Sciences.
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week