For the first time, the ninth annual survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse focused on the relationship between teen dating behavior and tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs.

Teenagers who have sexually active friends face a significantly higher risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs than do other youths, according to an annual Columbia University substance-abuse survey released Thursday.

The report found that youths 12 to 17 who said that at least half of their friends were sexually active were 31 times more likely to get drunk, 22 times more likely to try marijuana, and more than five times as likely to smoke cigarettes.

Advocates for liberalizing the nation’s drug laws accused the writers of the report — which showed no causal connection between sexual activity and drug or alcohol use — of sensationalizing teenage behavior to make a stronger case against the use of marijuana and other drugs.