2010 Monitoring the Future Survey Finds Increased Marijuana Use Among 8th, 10th and 12th Graders

MONITORING THE FUTURE SURVEY FINDS INCREASED MARIJUANA USE AMONG 8TH, 10TH, AND 12TH GRADERS

CADCA Calls for Increased Investment in Drug-Free Communities Program

Washington, D.C. – The 2010 Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey, released today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan, showed an increase in marijuana use rates among all grades measured in the survey – 8^th, 10^th and 12^th graders. Particularly concerning are that more youth report smoking marijuana on a daily basis, with 6.1 percent of high school seniors, 3.3 percent of 10th graders, and 1.2 percent of 8th graders reporting daily use, compared to last year’s rates of 5.2 percent, 2.8 percent, and 1.0 percent, respectively. Among 12th graders it was at its highest point since the early 1980’s. The perceived risk of regular marijuana use also declined among 10th and 12th graders, suggesting that marijuana use among youth may continue its upward trend. 

Another drug that showed an increased in use was Ecstasy, despite having been on a downward trend for the past several years. Equally concerning is that steady declines in cigarette smoking appear to have stalled in all three grades after several years of improvement on most measures.

“The 2010 Monitoring the Future survey findings are extremely disturbing but not surprising, since last year’s survey showed a softening of attitudes about marijuana use. And with states debating measures to legalize marijuana or allow marijuana for so called medical purposes, it’s no wonder more young people are daily pot smokers,” said CADCA Chairman and CEO General Arthur T. Dean. “Let’s take this as a wake up call and invest in comprehensive drug prevention programs that show results, like the Drug Free Communities program.

“The Drug Free Communities (DFC) Program, which funds local, grassroots community coalitions across the country, is one of those programs. Thanks to the DFC program, there are hundreds of community coalitions developing and implementing strategies to tackle local substance abuse problems, getting at the root causes of drug use in their communities.”

According to an independent evaluation of the Drug Free Communities Support Program, the prevalence of 30-day use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana was lower for high school students in DFC-funded communities than among a nationally representative sample of high school students taking the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The evaluation also found that the DFC program is responsible for a reduction of 181,000 youth using alcohol, a reduction of 200,000 youth using tobacco, and a reduction of nearly 115,000 youth using marijuana.

During a press conference today in Washington, D.C., Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, called the results disappointing, noting that the increased marijuana rates are due largely to the mixed messages youth are receiving around marijuana legalization and medical marijuana.

“All this talk about marijuana being medicine is incorrect and it’s sending youth the wrong message. We need parents and other adults who influence children as full partners in teaching young people about the risks and harms associated with drug use, including marijuana,” he said.

After marijuana, prescription and over-the-counter medications account for most of the top drugs abused by 12th graders in the past year. Among 12th graders, past year non-medical use of Vicodin decreased from 9.7 percent to 8 percent. However, past year abuse of OxyContin remains unchanged across the three grades and has increased in 10th graders over the past 5 years. When asked about ways to address prescription drug abuse, ONDCP Director Kerlikowske pointed to the DFC program as something that can make a real difference in tackling this and other drug problems.

On a positive note, the survey showed that alcohol use has continued to decline among high school seniors with past year use falling from 43.5 percent to 41.2 percent and alcohol binge drinking declining from 25.2 percent to 23.2 percent.

CADCA will provide training on community-based strategies to prevent and reduce substance abuse and its related problems at its 21st Annual National Leadership Forum, which will be held Feb. 7-10, 2010 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland. CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is the nation's largest training for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals, and researchers, featuring more than 100 workshops on a wide range of topics—everything from how to prevent prescription drug abuse to how to apply research to community-based prevention efforts. For more information about CADCA’s Forum, visit CADCA’s event website.