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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.