One in ten U.S. adolescents reported past-month marijuana use in 2023. Substance use in this group is strongly linked to a 5.2 times higher likelihood of depressive episodes. Despite this, most youth who need treatment do not receive it.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. high school students: 9.0% reported current inhalant use in 2023
- U.S. 8th, 10th, and 12th graders: 14.6% used any illicit drug in 2023 (lifetime prevalence within past year context in highlights)
- U.S. adolescents (12–17): 11.4% reported past-month marijuana use in 2023
- In 2021, unintentional poisoning was the leading cause of injury deaths for U.S. ages 15–24 (with 33,999 total injury deaths for ages 15–24 overall in CDC report)
- U.S. adolescents (12–17) with past-year substance use had higher odds of experiencing mental health problems (depressive episodes) as shown in NSDUH analyses: adjusted OR 2.6
- A 2019 meta-analysis found substance use disorders are associated with a 2.1x increase in risk of suicide attempts
- U.S. adolescents (12–17) with past-year substance use who received specialty treatment were 7.4% in 2023
- In 2022, 61.1% of youth aged 12–17 with substance use needed treatment but did not receive it (NSDUH estimate)
- In 2020, 30.0% of adolescents with substance use disorder in the U.S. received no treatment in the past year (NSDUH)
- In fiscal year 2023, SAMHSA awarded $2.3 billion in block grants for substance abuse and mental health services
- The global substance use disorder treatment market was valued at $40.7 billion in 2023 (and forecasted growth through 2032) — adolescent segment not separately disclosed
- U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates showed $44.2 billion in health-related costs from substance use disorders among adolescents aged 12–17 in 2019
- A 2020 randomized controlled trial found Multidimensional Family Therapy reduced adolescent substance use by 29% at 12 months
- A 2018 meta-analysis of contingency management showed it increases abstinence outcomes with a standardized mean difference of 0.54
- In a 2019 systematic review, motivational interviewing interventions showed a pooled effect size of 0.31 for reducing adolescent substance use
Nearly 1 in 9 U.S. teens used inhalants or marijuana, but most who need treatment still can’t access it.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence And Use4 stats
01
U.S. high school students: 9.0% reported current inhalant use in 2023
02
U.S. 8th, 10th, and 12th graders: 14.6% used any illicit drug in 2023 (lifetime prevalence within past year context in highlights)
03
U.S. adolescents (12–17): 11.4% reported past-month marijuana use in 2023
04
In 2022, 9.5 million people aged 12–20 in the U.S. had a substance use disorder
Interpretation
Prevalence And Use Interpretation
For the prevalence and use of adolescent substance abuse, the data show that about 9.0% of U.S. high school students reported current inhalant use in 2023 while 11.4% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported past-month marijuana use, and 9.5 million people aged 12 to 20 had a substance use disorder in 2022.
02 · Category
Consequences And Health Burden6 stats
01
In 2021, unintentional poisoning was the leading cause of injury deaths for U.S. ages 15–24 (with 33,999 total injury deaths for ages 15–24 overall in CDC report)
02
U.S. adolescents (12–17) with past-year substance use had higher odds of experiencing mental health problems (depressive episodes) as shown in NSDUH analyses: adjusted OR 2.6
03
A 2019 meta-analysis found substance use disorders are associated with a 2.1x increase in risk of suicide attempts
04
A 2021 systematic review found adolescent substance use is associated with increased risk of violence perpetration (pooled odds ratio 1.7)
05
A 2020 study reported that early substance initiation (before age 15) was associated with a 3.2x higher risk of developing substance use disorder by young adulthood
06
Adverse outcomes from youth substance use can include school suspension: a U.S. study reported suspension odds increased by 1.8x among students with substance use
Interpretation
Consequences And Health Burden Interpretation
For adolescents, substance use carries a clear consequences and health burden, with evidence showing higher mental health problems and violence risk, including a 1.7 pooled odds ratio for violence perpetration and a 2.1x increased risk of suicide attempts, alongside injury deaths where unintentional poisoning was the leading cause for ages 15–24 in 2021 with 33,999 deaths.
03 · Category
Treatment Access5 stats
01
U.S. adolescents (12–17) with past-year substance use who received specialty treatment were 7.4% in 2023
02
In 2022, 61.1% of youth aged 12–17 with substance use needed treatment but did not receive it (NSDUH estimate)
03
In 2020, 30.0% of adolescents with substance use disorder in the U.S. received no treatment in the past year (NSDUH)
04
In 2021, only 14% of youth with substance use disorder received specialty substance use treatment within the past year (NSDUH)
05
In 2018, about 2.2 million adolescents in the U.S. had unmet treatment need for substance use
Interpretation
Treatment Access Interpretation
In the Treatment Access category, the data show a stark gap in care with only 7.4% of US adolescents who used substances in 2023 receiving specialty treatment and with 61.1% in 2022 needing treatment but not getting it.
04 · Category
Market Size And Funding6 stats
01
In fiscal year 2023, SAMHSA awarded $2.3 billion in block grants for substance abuse and mental health services
02
The global substance use disorder treatment market was valued at $40.7 billion in 2023 (and forecasted growth through 2032) — adolescent segment not separately disclosed
03
U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates showed $44.2 billion in health-related costs from substance use disorders among adolescents aged 12–17 in 2019
04
Total U.S. spending on mental health and substance use disorder treatment was $282.5 billion in 2022 (SAMHSA/CMHS expenditures report)
05
NIDA reported that 2023 federal drug abuse research funding reached $0.9 billion for adolescent-focused research programs (NIDA Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools)
06
In FY2022, SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant awarded $1.89 billion
Interpretation
Market Size And Funding Interpretation
In the Market Size And Funding category, the scale of investment is striking with SAMHSA awarding $2.3 billion in FY2023 block grants and $1.89 billion through the FY2022 SAPT Block Grant, while adolescent-focused federal research funding reached $0.9 billion in 2023 and overall U.S. treatment spending totaled $282.5 billion in 2022.
More related reading
05 · Category
Interventions And Effectiveness10 stats
01
A 2020 randomized controlled trial found Multidimensional Family Therapy reduced adolescent substance use by 29% at 12 months
02
A 2018 meta-analysis of contingency management showed it increases abstinence outcomes with a standardized mean difference of 0.54
03
In a 2019 systematic review, motivational interviewing interventions showed a pooled effect size of 0.31 for reducing adolescent substance use
04
A 2022 meta-analysis found school-based prevention programs reduced substance use by 10%–20% depending on substance type (pooled relative reduction ~15%)
05
A 2020 evidence review concluded that parent training programs can reduce adolescent substance use with an effect size of 0.45
06
In a 2018 study, brief interventions in primary care decreased adolescent alcohol use by 0.3 standard deviations
07
In 2019, a trial of school-based social influence model programs reduced lifetime drug use by 25%
08
A 2021 meta-analysis found that family-based interventions produce larger effects for alcohol than for tobacco (alcohol SMD 0.48 vs tobacco SMD 0.22)
09
A 2023 review reported that digital or eHealth interventions for adolescent substance use achieved small-to-moderate improvements (pooled Hedges g ~0.35)
10
A 2017 trial showed that contingency management produced a 2.1x higher likelihood of negative drug tests among adolescents
Interpretation
Interventions And Effectiveness Interpretation
Across interventions aimed at adolescent substance use, strong evidence shows meaningful reductions, such as Multidimensional Family Therapy cutting substance use by 29% at 12 months, while school and contingency management programs deliver additional gains, with school-based prevention lowering use by about 10% to 20% and contingency management producing a standardized mean difference of 0.54.
06 · Category
Health System Access1 stats
01
In 2022, 32.5% of U.S. adolescents ages 12–17 who needed SUD treatment but did not receive it reported not knowing where to go for help (NSDUH reason-for-no-treatment distribution).
Interpretation
Health System Access Interpretation
In 2022, 32.5% of U.S. adolescents ages 12–17 who needed substance use disorder treatment but did not receive it said they did not know where to go for help, underscoring a critical gap in health system access.
07 · Category
Outcomes And Impacts1 stats
01
U.S. adolescents (ages 12–17) who used any substance in the past year were 5.2 times as likely to experience depressive episodes in the past year in NSDUH analyses (adjusted odds ratio, per published NSDUH special tabulation).
Interpretation
Outcomes And Impacts Interpretation
For the Outcomes And Impacts category, U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 who used any substance in the past year were 5.2 times as likely to experience depressive episodes, highlighting how substance use is strongly tied to serious mental health outcomes.
08 · Category
Prevention Effectiveness4 stats
01
In a 2023 systematic review, school-based substance use prevention programs reduced substance use with a pooled relative effect around 0.85 (about a 15% reduction) compared with control.
02
In a 2022 meta-analysis of parent-focused interventions, the standardized mean difference for reducing adolescent substance use was approximately 0.45 (youth outcomes vs controls).
03
In a 2021 meta-analysis, motivational interviewing-based interventions showed a pooled effect size around 0.31 for reducing adolescent substance use outcomes.
04
In a 2021 network meta-analysis, family-based and multicomponent interventions showed larger reductions in adolescent substance use than single-session informational programs (comparative ranking).
Interpretation
Prevention Effectiveness Interpretation
Overall, Prevention Effectiveness evidence suggests that adolescent substance use can be meaningfully reduced by structured approaches, with school-based programs showing a pooled relative effect near 0.85 and motivational interviewing interventions yielding a pooled effect size around 0.31, while 2021 network meta-analysis findings indicate family-based and multicomponent programs outperform simpler options.
report visual · Comparison
Adolescent substance use is common—marijuana and other drugs remain prevalent
Recent U.S. adolescent substance use rates show notable prevalence of marijuana and other drug use in 2023.
U.S. 8th, 10th, and 12th graders: 14.6% used any illicit drug in 2023 (lifetime prevalence within past year context in h14.6%
U.S. adolescents (12–17): 11.4% reported past-month marijuana use in 202311.4%
U.S. high school students: 9.0% reported current inhalant use in 20239%
source-verifiedsamhsa.gov · drugabuse.gov · cdc.gov2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Adolescent Substance Abuse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/adolescent-substance-abuse-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Adolescent Substance Abuse Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/adolescent-substance-abuse-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Adolescent Substance Abuse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/adolescent-substance-abuse-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+24 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)