*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1994.01.31 : 1993 Drug Use Survey FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mona Brown Monday, Jan. 31, 1994 Karen Rogich NIDA Press Office 301-443-6245 Illicit drug use by adolescents increased significantly between 1992 and 1993, representing a reversal of downward trends observed for several years. Findings from the 1993 Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey of drug use among adolescents, show that illicit drug use is consistently up for 8th, 10th and 12th graders for most of the drugs measured. "These findings are more than a warning signal. They are an urgent alarm we must heed at once," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "Every new generation of young people needs to hear and understand the same clear and unambiguous message: Drugs are harmful. Drugs are deadly. Drugs are illegal. Drugs will destroy your life." Shalala said that she is contacting the presidents of broadcast networks, movie studios, record companies and professional sports leagues "asking them to rededicate themselves to getting the message out about prevention." Lee P. Brown, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the findings show "we must strengthen and improve our prevention and education efforts." He announced he will convene a national meeting of experts in the field of prevention and drug education for recommendations on confronting youth drug abuse. "This Administration will not allow another generation of youth to be captured by illicit drugs and begin a new cycle of drug use and dependency," he said. Education Secretary Richard Riley also joined in releasing the report and discussed increased commitment in education funding and programs designed to "offer children alternatives to the deadly lure of drugs." According to the survey, sponsored annually since 1975 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there was an increase in the percentage of high school seniors who had used an illicit drug at least once by the time they reached their senior year of high school. The 1993 increase reverses a downward trend of drug use by 12th graders that began in 1981. Lifetime prevalence of any illicit drug use increased from 40.7 percent in 1992 to 42.9 percent in 1993, still far below the peak level of 65.6 percent in 1981. Use of any illicit drug in the past year (annual use) by high school seniors increased from 27.1 percent in 1992 to 31.0 percent in 1993 after steadily declining from a peak of 54.2 percent in 1979. The percentage of seniors who had used an illicit drug within the past month (current use) increased from 14.4 percent in 1992 to 18.3 percent in 1993. The use of marijuana increased among 8th, 10th and 12th graders in 1993; however, for 12th graders, the rates are still well below the high levels during the peak years (1978-1979). In 1993, 35.3 percent of seniors had used marijuana at least once, up from 32.6 percent in 1992. Annual use of marijuana among high school seniors peaked at 50.8 percent in 1979 and had decreased steadily to 21.9 percent in 1992. In 1993, annual use of marijuana among 12th graders increased to 26.0 percent. Current use increased from 11.9 percent in 1992 to 15.5 percent in 1993. The percentage of 10th graders who had used marijuana at least once increased from 21.4 percent to 24.4 percent between 1992 and 1993. Annual use among 10th graders increased from 15.2 percent to 19.2 percent and current use increased from 8.1 percent to 10.9 percent. Following increases reported in 1992, lifetime and annual use of marijuana among 8th graders continued to rise in 1993. Lifetime use increased from 11.2 percent to 12.6 percent; annual use increased from 7.2 percent to 9.2 percent; and in 1993, current use increased from 3.7 percent to 5.1 percent. The use of cocaine (crack and powder form) remained level among 8th, 10th and 12th graders between 1992 and 1993. There was a statistically significant increase in the use of LSD among high school seniors. In 1993, 10.3 percent of seniors had tried LSD at least once in their lifetimes, up from 8.6 percent in 1992. Annual use of LSD by seniors increased from 5.6 percent in 1992 to 6.8 percent in 1993, nearing the level of use during the peak years of the mid 1970s. Annual use of LSD remained around 2 percent among 8th graders and around 4 percent for 10th graders in 1992 and 1993. The use of inhalants among 8th graders increased between 1992 and 1993, making inhalants the most widely abused substances, after alcohol and tobacco, among this age group. Almost one in five 8th graders (19.4 percent) have used inhalants, which include glues, aerosols and solvents, at least once, an increase from 17.4 percent in 1992. Lifetime rates of inhalant use among 10th and 12th graders remained around 17 percent. Current use among 10th graders increased from 2.7 percent in 1992 to 3.3 percent in 1993. Daily use of alcohol by high school seniors decreased from 3.4 percent in 1992 to 2.5 percent in 1993. Binge drinking (having five or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks) remained around 28 percent among high school seniors, but binge drinking among 10th graders increased from 21.1 percent in 1992 to 23.0 percent in 1993. Among 8th graders, the rate of binge drinking remained around 13 percent. The Monitoring the Future Survey also measures student attitudes toward drug use. In 1993, significantly fewer students in each grade level felt that there is great risk to people harming themselves when they use most illicit drugs. As compared to 1992, fewer students think that people are at great risk of harming themselves by trying marijuana once or twice (8th and 10th graders), smoking marijuana occasionally (8th, 10th and 12th graders), or even smoking marijuana regularly (8th, 10th and 12th graders). There was a decrease in the percentage of students in each grade who felt that people are at great risk for harming themselves by trying crack cocaine. Students were also asked about their perceived availability of drugs. In 1993, fewer seniors felt that cocaine was easy to get. However, more seniors thought it would be easy to get LSD and MDMA (ecstacy). There was a decrease in the proportion of 8th graders reporting it was easy to get cigarettes and alcohol. Among 10th graders, there was a decrease in the proportion who thought it was easy to get steroids and those who thought it was easy to get crystal methamphetamine (ice). Richard A. Millstein, acting director of NIDA, said, "The increases in drug use we are seeing are in part the result of an erosion of anti-drug attitudes by youth. Now more than ever, we need to counter erroneous messages that glamorize the use of illicit drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Our research has shown that we can do that best by implementing comprehensive prevention programs involving the individual, the family, peers, schools and community organizations. Further, a strong commitment to research is required to strengthen the scientific knowledge base needed to design even more effective prevention programs for those who have not begun to use drugs and effective treatment methods for those who are already abusing drugs." NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health, a Public Health Service agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The Monitoring the Future Survey was conducted under a NIDA grant to the University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, at a cost of approximately $3 million. Under the direction of Dr. Lloyd Johnston, principal investigator, the researchers surveyed 16,763 high school seniors, 15,516 tenth grade students, and 18,820 eighth grade students in public and private schools nationwide in 1993. The Monitoring the Future survey has been conducted annually since 1975. In 1991, the survey was expanded to include data on 8th and 10th grade students. NOTE: All changes noted between 1992 and 1993 are statistically significant.