Among other findings, the report discusses the role the media have played in influencing youth substance use and looks at how treatment, though shown to be effective by numerous scientific studies, is severely underutilized. The findings of the report show that juveniles are experimenting with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco at young ages. Indeed, the data show that attitudes toward drug use and patterns of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use are often established early in life. The research suggests that significant changes in drug awareness take place between the ages of 12 and 13. Other research findings are discussed below.
Young people account for the majority of new users of many substances.
The rising prevalence of marijuana use during the first half of the 1990s was driven, in large part, by the increasing rates of new use among youth ages 12-17. Tobacco use among adolescents, research shows, is a powerful predictor of other drug use, especially among females. For adolescent males, alcohol use is a strong predictor of progression into the use of other drugs. The age when adolescents first start using alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs is also a reliable predictor of later alcohol and drug problems, especially if that use begins before age 15. More than 40 percent of youth who start drinking at age 14 or younger develop alcohol dependence, compared with 10 percent of youth who begin drinking at age 20 or older.