North Hunterdon High School

Student Assistance Program

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 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) InfoFacts:

High School and Youth Trends

Trends in Use

Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey has studied annually the extent of drug use among 12th-graders. The survey was expanded in 1991 to include 8th- and 10th-graders. It is funded by NIDA and is conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. The goal of the survey is to collect data on past month, past year, and lifetime drug use among students in these grade levels. The 32nd annual study was conducted during 2006.

Decreases or stability in abuse patterns were noted for most drugs from 2005 to 2006. Below are the key findings, based on data from the 2006 MTF and, in some instances, from other recent MTF survey data. For individual drugs, a decrease or increase is noted only if statistically significant; other trends are considered stable and are not highlighted below.

Positive Trends:

• Any illicit drug – Since the peak years of drug abuse in the mid-1990s, there have been decreases among all three grades in the “any illicit drug” category. Based on 2006 data, past year prevalence has fallen by 37 percent among 8th-graders since the peak year in 1996. The peak year for past year abuse among 10th- and 12th-graders was 1997; since then, past year prevalence has fallen by 25 percent among 10th-graders and by 14 percent among 12th-graders. Combining all three grades, past month abuse for any illicit drug has dropped by 23 percent since 2001.

•  Marijuana – Lifetime marijuana abuse decreased among 10th-graders, from 34.1 percent in 2005 to 31.8 percent in 2006. Past year prevalence of marijuana abuse fell by 36 percent among 8th-graders since their peak year of abuse (1996) and by 28 percent among 10th-graders and 18 percent among 12th-graders since their peak year of abuse (1997). Perceived availability of marijuana fell among 10th-graders, from 72.6 percent in 2005 to 70.7 percent in 2006.

• Methamphetamine – Past year and past month abuse of methamphetamine decreased among 10th-graders from 2005 to 2006 (2.9 percent to 1.8 percent for past year; 1.1 percent to 0.7 percent for past month). Among 12th-graders, perceived risk of harm from trying crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) increased from 54.6 percent in 2005 to 59.1 percent in 2006.

• Prescription Drugs – Past year abuse of OxyContin decreased among 12th-graders for the first time since its inclusion in the survey in 2002, from 5.5 percent in 2005 to 4.3 percent in 2006. Perception of harm from trying sedatives/barbiturates “once or twice” increased among 12th-graders, from 24.7 percent in 2005 to 28.0 percent in 2006. (This question is asked only of 12th-graders.)

• Inhalants – After some increases in recent years, there were no significant changes from 2005 to 2006 in the proportion of students in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades reporting lifetime, past year, or past month abuse of inhalants.

• Cigarettes/Nicotine – Lifetime abuse of cigarettes decreased among 10th- and 12th-graders from 2005 to 2006 (38.9 percent to 36.1 percent for 10th-graders; 50.0 percent to 47.1 percent for 12th-graders). Past year abuse of bidis (small, flavored cigarettes from India) decreased among 12th-graders, from 3.3 percent in 2005 to 2.3 percent in 2006. (This question was asked only of 12th-graders from 2005 to 2006.)

• Crack Cocaine – Past year abuse of crack decreased for 10th-graders, from 1.7 percent in 2005 to 1.3 percent in 2006.

• Heroin – Among 8th-graders, past month heroin abuse decreased, from 0.5 percent in 2005 to 0.3 percent in 2006. Perceived risk of harm from using heroin "once or twice" or "occasionally" increased among 12th-graders from 2005 to 2006. Among 10th-graders, perceived availability of heroin fell, from 19.3 percent in 2005 to 17.4 percent in 2006.

• MDMA (Ecstasy) – Among 10th-graders, perceived availability of MDMA decreased from 30.2 percent in 2005 to 27.4 percent in 2006.

• Anabolic Steroids – Among 12th-graders, perceived risk of steroid abuse increased, from 56.8 percent in 2005 to 60.2 percent in 2006. (This question is asked only of 12th-graders.)

• Alcohol – Lifetime and past year abuse of alcohol decreased for 12th-graders from 2005 to 2006 (75.1 percent to 72.7 percent for lifetime; 68.6 percent to 66.5 percent for past year).

Negative Trends:

•  Prescription Drugs – Past year abuse of OxyContin and Vicodin, first measured in 2002, continued at levels that raise concern. Past year abuse of Vicodin was 3.0 percent among 8th-graders, 7.0 percent among 10th-graders, and 9.7 percent among 12th-graders in 2006, remaining stable but at relatively high levels for each grade. Despite a drop in past year abuse of OxyContin among 12th-graders in 2006, abuse among 8th-graders has nearly doubled since 2002 (from 1.3 percent in 2002 to 2.6 percent in 2006).

• MDMA (Ecstasy) – From 2005 to 2006, the percentage of 8th-graders decreased who saw great risk in using MDMA "once or twice" (40.0 percent to 32.8 percent) and in using "occasionally" (60.8 percent to 52.0 percent). Also, disapproval of MDMA use decreased among 8th-graders from 2005 to 2006 for trying "once or twice" (75.0 percent to 66.7 percent) and taking "occasionally" (77.9 percent to 69.8 percent).

• Hallucinogens – From 2005 to 2006, the percentage of 8th-graders decreased who perceived risk of harm from "taking LSD regularly" (44.0 percent to 40.0 percent) and who disapproved of using LSD "once or twice" (58.5 percent to 53.9 percent).