For the fifth consecutive year, the number of American teenagers using drugs and alcohol remains at a historic low.
New survey data show that the dramatic decrease in substance use that began during the COVID-19 pandemic has not reversed, signaling a long-term shift in youth behavior.
The National Institute of Health-funded Monitoring the Future survey, which has tracked student behaviors and attitudes for more than 50 years, found that the falloff in drug use reported in 2021 has become the new normal.
Students took the online survey in classrooms between February and June 2025.
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