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Home » Past Month Alcohol Use Among U.S. Youth Continues to Decline; Approaching Levels of Marijuana Use (July 2015)

Past Month Alcohol Use Among U.S. Youth Continues to Decline; Approaching Levels of Marijuana Use (July 2015)

Alcohol use among middle and high school students continues to decline to record lows (click to see graphic), according to data from the 2014 national Monitoring the Future survey. The percentage of 12th graders reporting past month alcohol use decreased from highs above 70% in the late 1970s to 37% in 2014, the lowest rate since data collection began in 1975. Use among 8th and 10th graders has also declined. While alcohol continues to be the substance most frequently reported by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, the recent declines have narrowed the gap between the percentage reporting alcohol and marijuana use. For example, in 1991, 25.1% of 8th graders reported using alcohol in the past month compared to 3.2% who reported past month marijuana use. In 2014, these 9.0% of 8th graders reported using alcohol in the past month, compared to 6.5% reporting marijuana use.