During 2006, alcohol and illicit drug use by American teenagers continued a decade-long decline. Yet adolescent abuse of prescription drugs remains relatively high.

These are results from the Monitoring the Future survey conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. For the 2006 study, researchers surveyed 50,000 students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade across the nation.

Lloyd Johnston, principal investigator for the survey, said that the nation's drug prevention efforts are paying off--and need to be sustained.

"The youngest students that we survey--the 8th graders--have shown the largest proportional drop in their use of nearly all of the illicit drugs since the recent peak rates of the mid to late 1990s," Johnston said. "Because most of the illegal drugs like LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin have shown considerable declines in recent years, while the misuse of prescription-type drugs has been growing, the latter has become a more important part of the country's drug problem."

Other findings from the 2006 survey:

• Twenty-one percent of today's 8th graders have taken an illicit drug during their lifetime. Among 10th graders, 36 percent have taken an illicit drug. For 12th graders, the figure is 48 percent.
• Nearly all prevalence measures for alcohol use and self-reported drunkenness showed some continuing decline in all grade levels. Six percent of 8th graders, 19 percent of 10th graders, and 30 percent of 12th graders reported being drunk at least once in the previous month.
• Among illicit drugs, the most widely used is marijuana. Though rates of marijuana use by 10th and 12th graders have declined for five consecutive years, use of the drug by 8th graders has remained steady since 2004.
• Methamphetamine use declined significantly among 10th graders in 2006, though not in the two other grades.
• Since the late 1990s, crack cocaine use has declined gradually in all three grades.
• A decade-long trend of substantially declining daily smoking rates ended in 2006, with no further decline reported for 8th and 10th graders and only a slight decrease noted for 12th graders (from 13.6 percent to 12.2 percent).

"The progress to prevent alcohol and drug use should be applauded," says Jim Steinhagen, executive director of the Hazelden Center for Youth and Families in Plymouth, Minn., a center that serves young people ages 14-25 with addiction and related issues. "The Monitoring the Future survey tells us about declines that have existed over a 10-year period. It's not just a blip on the screen. We can attribute the positive effects to the good work of schools and other organizations that have dedicated themselves to prevention."

At the same time, survey researchers found that many drugs showed no or very little decline in 2006 at any grade. These include inhalants, LSD and other hallucinogens, powder cocaine, crystal methamphetamine ("ice"), heroin, tranquilizers, sedatives, several "club drugs" (Ketamine, Rohypnol, and GHB), and steroids.

The 2006 study also included a new question about use of over-the-counter cough or cold medicines for the purpose of getting high. Most often abused are drugs that contain dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant. In high doses, these drugs can alter consciousness and moods. Street names for these drugs include "DXM," "Dex," and "skittles."

"If the dangers of using these drugs receive more attention in the media, I would expect their popularity to fade somewhat," Johnston said.

Abuse of over-the-counter drugs underlines the work that still needs to be done, Steinhagen says.

"Among variables that influence teen substance abuse, the strongest are availability of a drug, perception of its possible harm, and peer approval or disapproval of the drug," says Steinhagen. "We can learn from successful prevention efforts and apply them to abuse of over-the-counter medications. Because these drugs are available over the counter, kids may assume that they are safe. We need to change those perceptions by educating young people and their parents that over-the-counter medications, when taken in high doses, can be dangerous."

More information about the 2006 survey is available online at www.monitoringthefuture.org.

--Published April 16, 2007