A brand-new age

“Kids who were in eighth grade at the start of the pandemic will be graduating from high school this year, and this unique cohort has ushered in the lowest rates of substance use we’ve seen in decades,” Miech kept in mind.

For alcohol, usage in the previous 12 months amongst 8th graders was at 12.9 percent in 2024, comparable to 2023 levels, which are lowest levels. For 10th graders, the rate dropped considerably from 30.6 percent in 2023 to 26.1 percent, and for 12th graders, from 45.7 percent to 41.7 percent– both record lows.

For nicotine vaping, rates succumbed to 10th graders (from 17.5 percent to 15.4 percent) and stayed at low levels for 8th and 12th graders. For cannabis, usage stayed low for 8th and 10th graders and fell substantially for 12th graders (from 29 percent to 25.8 percent). All 3 grades are at lows not seen because 1990.

For teetotalists from alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine in the previous 30 days, the rate amongst 8th graders struck 90 percent, up from 87 percent in 2017, when it was very first determined. The rate was 80 percent amongst 10th graders, up from 69 percent in 2017, and 67 percent for 12th graders, up from 53 percent in 2017.

“This trend in the reduction of substance use among teenagers is unprecedented,” Nora Volkow, director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), stated. “We must continue to investigate factors that have contributed to this lowered risk of substance use to tailor interventions to support the continuation of this trend.”