NIDA Releases Key Findings of 2019 Teen Drug Use Survey

The 45th annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey

On Dec. 18, the National Institute on Drug Abuse released the key findings of the 45th annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey. More than 42,500 students from nearly 400 public and private schools across the country participated in 2019’s MTF survey of drug use and attitudes among American 8th, 10th and 12th graders. 

The survey showed that past-month marijuana vaping among 12th graders nearly doubled in a single year—the second largest one-year jump ever tracked for any substance in the history of the study. (The largest was from 2017 to 2018, with past-month nicotine vaping among 12th graders.) It also showed that marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug by adolescents. After remaining mostly stable for many years, daily marijuana use went up significantly since 2018 among 8th and 10th graders. 

The encouraging news of the MTF survey is that the self-reported use of alcohol, cigarettes and many illicit drugs remains at historically low levels and misuse of prescription opioids has continued to decline as well. 

The MTF survey, funded by NIDA, is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan. For more information on the 2019 MTF survey, visit https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/monitoring-future.