Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey has been administered annually to study the extent of and beliefs about drug use among 12th-graders. The survey was expanded in 1991 to include 8th- and 10th-graders. It is funded by NIDA and is conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. The goal of the survey is to collect data on daily, past-month, past-year, and lifetime1 drug use among students in these grade levels. The 34th annual study was conducted during 2008.2

Decreases or stability in abuse patterns were noted for most drugs from 2007 to 2008. Below are the key findings, based on data from the 2008 MTF survey. For individual drugs, a decrease or increase is noted only if statistically significant; other trends are considered stable and are not highlighted below.

Positive Findings

• From 2007 to 2008, the percentage of 10th-graders reporting lifetime, past year, and past month use of any illicit drug other than marijuana declined significantly. Lifetime use decreased from 18.2 to 15.9 percent, past-year use declined from 13.1 to 11.3 percent, and past-month use decreased from 6.9 to 5.3 percent.
• Cigarette smoking continues to fall to the lowest rate in the survey's history. Between 2007 and 2008, declines were observed in lifetime, past-month, and daily cigarette use among 10th-graders. Although there were no 1-year declines for 8th- and 12th-graders over the past year, all grades surveyed have continued a longer term trend of declining cigarette use. These findings are particularly noteworthy since tobacco addiction is one of the leading preventable contributors to many of our Nation's health problems.
• Overall, the use of stimulants declined. Lifetime, past-year, and past-month amphetamine use declined among 10th-graders. Crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) use continues to decline - past-year use fell among 12th-graders, from 1.6 to 1.1 percent. Also, past-year crack cocaine use declined from 2007 to 2008 among 12th-graders, from 1.9 to 1.6 percent.
• The use of alcohol in all prevalence periods measured among 10th graders decreased. For example, past-year alcohol use by 10th-graders declined from 56.3 percent in 2007 to 52.5 percent in 2008.3

Areas of Concern

• Marijuana use across the three grades surveyed has shown a consistent decline since the mid-1990s, but appears it to have leveled off. Past-year use was reported by 10.9 percent of 8th-graders, 23.9 percent of 10th-graders, and 32.4 percent of 12th-graders.
• In 2008, 15.4 percent of 12th-graders reported using a prescription drug nonmedically within the past year. This category includes amphetamines, sedatives/barbiturates, tranquilizers, and opiates other than heroin. Vicodin continues to be abused at unacceptably high levels. Many of the drugs used by 12th-graders are prescription drugs or, in the case of cough medicine, are available over the counter.4
• Attitudes toward substance abuse, often seen as harbingers of change in rates of use, were mostly stable.5 However, among 12th-graders, perceived risk of harm associated with LSD continues to decrease. Additionally, perceived harmfulness and disapproval of marijuana and inhalant use softened among 8th-graders this year.