New survey finds U.S. adolescents using illicit substances in 2023 below pre-pandemic levels

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The percentage of adolescents reporting they used any illicit substances in 2023 in the United States continued to hold steady below the pre-pandemic levels reported in 2020, according to results of a new survey released on Wednesday.

The survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, and funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

From February through June 2023, researchers collected 22,318 surveys from students enrolled across 235 public and private schools in the United States.

The study found reported use for almost all substances decreased dramatically between 2020 and 2021, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and related changes like school closures and social distancing.

In 2022, most reported substance use among adolescents held steady at these lowered levels, and the latest data showed that this trend continued into 2023.

The survey found that adolescents most commonly reported use of alcohol, nicotine vaping, and cannabis in the past year, and levels generally declined from or held steady with the lowered use reported in 2022.

"Research has shown that delaying the start of substance use among young people, even by one year, can decrease substance use for the rest of their lives. We may be seeing this play out in real time," said NIDA director Nora Volkow.

"This trend is reassuring. Though, it remains crucial to continue to educate young people about the risks and harms of substance use in an open and honest way, emphasizing that illicit pills and other substances may contain deadly fentanyl," Volkow said.