{"id":17216,"date":"2024-04-07T16:58:44","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T16:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=17216"},"modified":"2024-04-23T19:02:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T19:02:58","slug":"teen-drug-use-habits-are-changing-for-the-good-with-caveats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2024\/04\/teen-drug-use-habits-are-changing-for-the-good-with-caveats\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen Drug Use Habits Are Changing, For the Good. With Caveats."},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"css-1gkjb1c euiyums1\">\n<div class=\"css-hme5ai euiyums0\">\n<p class=\"css-1ca3kv7 e6idgb70\">A CONVERSATION WITH \u2026 Dr. Nora Volkow, who leads the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, would like the public to know things are getting better. Mostly. Volkov says<em>: <span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\">\u00a0\u201cPeople don\u2019t really realize that among young people, particularly teenagers, the rate of drug use is at the lowest risk that we have seen in decades,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"byline-prefix\">By\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"css-1baulvz last-byline\"><a class=\"css-n8ff4n e1jsehar0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/matt-richtel\">Matt Richtel<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> NYTimes\u00a0 \u00a0 April 6, 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Historically speaking, it\u2019s not a bad time to be the liver of a teenager. Or the lungs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Regular use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs among high school students has been on a long downward trend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2023,\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/monitoringthefuture.org\/data\/bx-by\/drug-prevalence\/#drug=%22Alcohol%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">46 percent of seniors said that they\u2019d had a drink in the year<\/a>\u00a0before being interviewed; that is a precipitous drop from 88 percent in 1979, when the behavior peaked, according to the annual Monitoring the Future survey, a closely watched national poll of youth substance use. A similar downward trend was observed among eighth and 10th graders, and for those three age groups when it came to cigarette smoking. In 2023, just 15 percent of seniors said that they had smoked a cigarette in their life, down from a peak of\u00a0<a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmonitoringthefuture.org%2Fdata%2FPrevalence2021%2FCigarettes.htm&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjuwon.song%40nih.gov%7Ca88e19073e99407f9adb08dc3c765849%7C14b77578977342d58507251ca2dc2b06%7C0%7C0%7C638451726984573130%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hnl%2BKIyRqtrsyK9sTQv5rgZGdjca1zvDbabVhEW5STs%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">76 percent in 1977<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Illicit drug use among teens has remained low and fairly steady for the past three decades, with some notable declines during the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/monitoringthefuture.org\/data\/bx-by\/drug-prevalence\/#drug=%22Marijuana+%28Cannabis%29%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In 2023, 29 percent of high school seniors reported using<\/a>\u00a0marijuana in the previous year \u2014 down from 37 percent in 2017, and from a peak of 51 percent in 1979.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-1-wrapper\" class=\"css-1o7t954\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-1-slug\" class=\"css-l9onyx\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-1\" class=\"ad story-ad-1-wrapper css-rfqw0c\" data-google-query-id=\"CNC1173GsIUDFSOcUAYdVKMBqA\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/29390238\/nyt\/health_3__container__\">There are some sobering caveats to the good news. One is that teen overdose deaths have sharply risen, with fentanyl-involved deaths among adolescents doubling from 2019 to 2020 and remaining at that level in the subsequent years.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Dr. Nora Volkow has devoted her career to studying use of drugs and alcohol. She has been the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 2003. She sat down with The New York Times to discuss changing patterns and the reasons behind shifting drug-use trends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">What\u2019s the big picture on teens and drug use?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">People don\u2019t really realize that among young people, particularly teenagers, the rate of drug use is at the lowest risk that we have seen in decades. And that\u2019s worth saying, too, for legal alcohol and tobacco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">What do you credit for the change?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One major factor is education and prevention campaigns. Certainly, the prevention campaign for cigarette smoking has been one of the most effective we\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some of the policies that were implemented also significantly helped, not just making the legal age for alcohol and tobacco 21 years, but enforcing those laws. Then you stop the progression from drugs that are more accessible, like tobacco and alcohol, to the illicit ones. And teenagers don\u2019t get exposed to advertisements of legal drugs like they did in the past. All of these policies and interventions have had a downstream impact on the use of illicit drugs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-2-wrapper\" class=\"css-xqryb1\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-2-slug\" class=\"css-l9onyx\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"after-story-ad-2\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Does social media use among teens play a role?<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Absolutely. Social media has shifted the opportunity of being in the physical space with other teenagers. That reduces the likelihood that they will take drugs. And this became dramatically evident when they closed schools because of Covid-19. You saw a big jump downward in the prevalence of use of many substances during the pandemic. That might be because teenagers could not be with one another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The issue that\u2019s interesting is that despite the fact schools are back, the prevalence of substance use has not gone up to the prepandemic period. It has remained stable or continued to go down. It was a big jump downward, a shift, and some drug use trends continue to slowly go down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Is there any thought that the stimulation that comes from using a digital device may satisfy some of the same neurochemical experiences of drugs, or provide some of the escapism?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yes, that\u2019s possible. There has been a shift in the types of reinforcers available to teenagers. It\u2019s not just social media, it\u2019s video gaming, for example. Video gaming can be very reinforcing, and you can produce patterns of compulsive use. So, you are shifting one reinforcer, one way of escaping, with another one. That may be another factor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Is it too simplistic to see the decline in drug use as a good news story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If you look at it in an objective way, yes, it\u2019s very good news. Why? Because we know that the earlier you are using these drugs, the greater the risk of becoming addicted to them. It lowers the risk these drugs will interfere with your mental health, your general health, your ability to complete an education and your future job opportunities. That is absolutely good news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-3-wrapper\" class=\"css-xqryb1\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-3-slug\" class=\"css-l9onyx\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"after-story-ad-3\">But we don\u2019t want to become complacent.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The supply of drugs is more dangerous, leading to an increase in overdose deaths. We\u2019re not exaggerating. I mean, taking one of these drugs can kill you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">What about vaping? It has been falling, but use is still considerably higher than for cigarettes: In 2021,\u00a0<\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmonitoringthefuture.org%2Fdata%2FPrevalence2021%2FVapeNicotine.htm&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjuwon.song%40nih.gov%7Ca88e19073e99407f9adb08dc3c765849%7C14b77578977342d58507251ca2dc2b06%7C0%7C0%7C638451726984579745%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=9JMsDcQSpj%2FBZvTUvatwdP%2FE8kBqakXBBeosdA5sBxk%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">about a quarter of high school seniors said that they had vaped nicotine in the preceding year<\/a><\/strong><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">. Why would teens resist cigarettes and flock to vaping?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Most of the toxicity associated with tobacco has been ascribed to the burning of the leaf. The burning of that tobacco was responsible for cancer and for most of the other adverse effects, even though nicotine is the addictive element.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">What we\u2019ve come to understand is that nicotine vaping has harms of its own, but this has not been as well understood as was the case with tobacco. The other aspect that made vaping so appealing to teenagers was that it was associated with all sorts of flavors \u2014 candy flavors. It was not until the F.D.A. made those flavors illegal that vaping became less accessible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">My argument would be there\u2019s no reason we should be exposing teenagers to nicotine. Because nicotine is very, very addictive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-4-wrapper\" class=\"css-1o7t954\">\n<div id=\"story-ad-4-slug\" class=\"css-l9onyx\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-4\" class=\"ad story-ad-4-wrapper css-rfqw0c\" data-google-query-id=\"CMqZ8sLGsIUDFbqaUAYdrToPkg\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/29390238\/nyt\/health_6__container__\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Anything else you want to add?<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">We also have all of this interest in cannabis and psychedelic drugs. And there\u2019s a lot of interest in the idea that psychedelic drugs may have therapeutic benefits. To prevent these new trends in drug use among teens requires different strategies than those we\u2019ve used for alcohol or nicotine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For example, we can say that if you take drugs like alcohol or nicotine, that can lead to addiction. That\u2019s supported by extensive research. But warning about addiction for drugs like cannabis and psychedelics may not be as effective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While cannabis can also be addictive, it\u2019s perhaps less so than nicotine or alcohol, and more research is needed in this area, especially on newer, higher-potency products. Psychedelics don\u2019t usually lead to addiction, but they can produce adverse mental experiences that can put you at risk of psychosis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\n<div class=\"css-1jp38cr\">\n<div class=\"css-cw8msf eqi4ubu0\">\n<div class=\"css-kzd6pg\">\n<p><span class=\"css-97bxx6\"><a class=\"authorPageLinkClass overrideLinkStyles\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/matt-richtel\">Matt Richtel<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is a health and science reporter for The Times, based in Boulder, Colo.<span class=\"css-kzd6pg\">\u00a0<a class=\"authorPageLinkClass overrideLinkStyles\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/matt-richtel\">More about Matt Richtel<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A CONVERSATION WITH \u2026 Dr. Nora Volkow, who leads the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, would like the public to know things are getting better. Mostly. Volkov says: \u00a0\u201cPeople don\u2019t really realize that among young people, particularly teenagers, the rate of drug use is at the lowest risk that we have seen in decades,\u201d\u00a0 By\u00a0Matt [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,62,40,14,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-education","category-prevention-research","category-social-affairs","category-treatment-addiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17216\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}