The number of teens in the U.S. using alcohol, marijuana, prescription medications and illicit substances continued to decrease in 2016, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor conducted the study, which was sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. For the study, researchers surveyed 45,473 students from 372 public and private schools. The annual survey is part of a ongoing study called Monitoring the Future, which has tracked drug, alcohol and tobacco use among 8th, 10th and 12th graderssince 1975, reports Reuters.
Here are four survey findings.
1. Almost 2 percent of 12th graders reported smoking half a pack of cigarettes or more per day, down from 10.7 percent of high school seniors in 1991.
2. About 37 percent of high school seniors said they had been drunk at least one time this year, a decrease from a peak in 2001, when 53.2 percent reported being drunk.
3. Researchers found 12th graders were still using marijuana at similar levels in 2016 compared to last year, with 22.5 percent saying they had smoked or ingested the drug at least once in the past month. Six percent reported using the drug daily.
4. The use of illicit drugs other than marijuana represented the lowest levels seen since the survey began in 1975.
To view the full study, click here.
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