Recent data shows 15.5% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 used marijuana in the past year. Substance use patterns reveal stark differences across demographics, with LGBTQ+ students reporting marijuana use at rates 60% higher than their peers.
Key Takeaways
- Girls aged 12-17 have higher prescription drug misuse rates than boys at 14% vs 12% NSDUH 2021
- Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among teens, with 15.5% past-year use ages 12-17 in 2021 per NSDUH
- Among teens using marijuana daily, 25% also use nicotine products MTF 2022
- Past-year illicit drug use among 12th graders dropped from 25% in 2012 to 20% in 2022 MTF
- In 2022, 15.6% of 12th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past year, according to the Monitoring the Future survey
Most teens report vaping, with many also trying other drugs, highlighting urgent prevention needs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics26 stats
01
Girls aged 12-17 have higher prescription drug misuse rates than boys at 14% vs 12% NSDUH 2021
02
Non-Hispanic white teens have highest marijuana use at 17% past year ages 12-17 NSDUH 2021
03
Urban teens 12-17 show 12% illicit drug use past year vs 9% rural NSDUH 2021
04
High school males report 7% cocaine use lifetime vs 4% females YRBS 2021
05
16-17 year olds have 25% past-year marijuana use vs 10% for 12-13 NSDUH 2021
06
Hispanic teens vaping nicotine 12% past 30 days vs 9% white CDC 2021
07
Teens from low-income families (<$25k) 18% alcohol past month vs 14% high-income NSDUH 2021
08
LGBTQ+ high school students 35% marijuana use vs 22% straight YRBS 2021
09
Black teens lowest illicit drug use excluding marijuana at 8% past year 12-17 NSDUH 2021
10
12th grade females vaping marijuana 8.5% past month vs 6% males MTF 2022
11
Asian American teens lowest alcohol use 12% past year vs 30% white NSDUH 2021
12
Suburban teens 11% prescription misuse vs 9% urban MTF data avg
13
Teens with mental health issues 2x more likely to use drugs, 25% vs 12% NSDUH 2021
14
Male 12th graders 12% binge drinking past 2 weeks vs 9% females MTF 2022
15
Native American teens highest inhalant use 5% lifetime 12-17 NSDUH
16
10th grade boys 3% amphetamine misuse vs 2% girls MTF 2022
17
Obese teens less likely to use alcohol 15% vs 20% normal weight YRBS 2021
18
Teens in Northeast US highest ecstasy use 3.5% past year MTF 2022
19
Female 8th graders higher tranquilizer misuse 2.5% vs 1.8% boys MTF 2022
20
Pacific Islander teens vaping 15% past 30 days highest YRBS 2021
21
Single-parent household teens 16% drug use vs 11% two-parent NSDUH 2021
22
12th graders in West region 35% alcohol past month highest MTF 2022
23
Disabled teens 20% higher marijuana use YRBS 2021 data
24
College-bound 12th graders lower illicit drug use 12% vs non 18% MTF 2022
25
Immigrant teens lower drug use 9% vs US-born 14% NSDUH 2021
26
Frequent video gamers 18% nicotine vaping vs 8% non-gamers YRBS 2021
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
These statistics paint a stark, nuanced portrait of a generation in which risk follows the fault lines of identity, geography, and circumstance, revealing that a teenager’s relationship with substances is less a simple choice and more a complex reflection of their access, pressures, and pain.
02 · Category
Drug Types29 stats
01
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among teens, with 15.5% past-year use ages 12-17 in 2021 per NSDUH
02
Nicotine vaping past 30 days: 10% high school students 2021 CDC YRBS
03
Alcohol past month use 18% among 12-17 year olds NSDUH 2021
04
Prescription opioids misused by 7% of 12th graders lifetime MTF 2022
05
MDMA/ecstasy past year 2.7% 12th graders 2022 MTF
06
Cocaine (powder) lifetime use 5.2% 12th graders 2022, MTF
07
Inhalants past year 2.8% 8th graders 2022 MTF
08
LSD past year 3.5% 12th graders 2022, MTF
09
Methamphetamine lifetime 1.3% 12th graders 2022 MTF
10
Heroin lifetime use 1.9% 12th graders 2022, MTF
11
Synthetic cannabinoids past year 1.0% 12th graders 2022 MTF
12
Benzodiazepines misused past year 4.3% 12th graders 2022 MTF
13
Cough medicine misuse for high past year 3.1% 12th graders 2022, MTF
14
Salvia lifetime 4.4% 12th graders 2022 MTF
15
Amphetamines misused past year 5.6% 12th graders 2022 MTF
16
Crack cocaine lifetime 2.4% 12th graders 2022, MTF
17
Mushrooms/psilocybin past year 4.1% 12th graders 2022 MTF
18
Bath salts/cathinones lifetime <1% 12th graders 2022 MTF
19
Steroids lifetime 1.2% 12th graders 2022 MTF
20
Nicotine pouches past year 8.1% 12th graders 2022 MTF
21
Fentanyl-laced pills awareness but use low, 1.5% suspected 12th graders 2022 MTF
22
Delta-8 THC past year 11.5% 12th graders 2022 MTF
23
Ketamine lifetime 2.0% 12th graders 2022 MTF
24
PCP lifetime <0.5% 12th graders 2022 MTF
25
Xanax/Alprazolam misused past year 5.2% 12th graders 2022 MTF
26
OxyContin misused lifetime 3.8% 12th graders 2022 MTF
27
Vicodin lifetime misuse 5.7% 12th graders 2022 MTF
28
Adderall misused past year 10.3% 12th graders 2022 MTF
29
Ritalin misused lifetime 4.1% 12th graders 2022 MTF
Interpretation
Drug Types Interpretation
If your idea of extracurricular activities includes a statistically significant menu of risk, then the portrait of modern adolescence is painted in concerning shades of self-medication, experimental curiosity, and a perilous gamble with substances that range from the unfortunately familiar to the terrifyingly potent.
03 · Category
Health Impacts23 stats
01
Among teens using marijuana daily, 25% also use nicotine products MTF 2022
02
Teen marijuana users 2x more likely to develop cannabis use disorder by adulthood NIDA
03
Vaping nicotine linked to 30% higher depression rates in high schoolers YRBS 2021
04
Binge drinking teens 4x risk of alcohol dependence later CDC
05
Opioid misuse in teens leads to 1 in 5 developing OUD within 2 years NIH
06
Cocaine use associated with 40% increased heart issues in young users AHA
07
LSD use correlates with 15% higher psychosis risk in vulnerable teens NIDA
08
Inhalant abuse causes sudden death in 1/5 first-time teen users CDC
09
Methamphetamine use in teens doubles stroke risk NIH
10
Heroin overdose death rate among 15-24 rose 500% 1999-2020 CDC
11
Daily cannabis vaping impairs lung function by 20% in teens study JAMA
12
Prescription stimulant misuse raises heart attack risk 3x in adolescents AHA
13
Teen ecstasy users 3x more likely to have serotonin syndrome NIH
14
BZD misuse leads to overdose in 10% of teen ER visits SAMHSA
15
Synthetic cannabis causes kidney failure in 25% hospitalized teens CDC
16
Alcohol use before 15 triples addiction risk by 25 JAMA Pediatrics
17
Nicotine addiction develops in 25% teen vapers within weeks NIDA
18
Fentanyl in fake pills caused 70% teen opioid deaths 2021 CDC
19
Chronic teen marijuana use shrinks brain volume 8% MRI study NIH
20
Teen inhalant use linked to 50% higher cognitive deficits NIDA
21
Delta-8 THC hospitalizations up 82% in teens 2021 Poison Control
22
Cocaine teens 5x ER visits for chest pain CDC
23
Meth psychosis persists 20% teen users long-term NIH
Interpretation
Health Impacts Interpretation
The teenage brain appears to be running a terrifying experiment where trying everything once might literally mean trying everything once.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trends24 stats
01
Past-year illicit drug use among 12th graders dropped from 25% in 2012 to 20% in 2022 MTF
02
Teen marijuana past 30-day use declined 40% from 2012 peak MTF 2022
03
Nicotine vaping peaked 2020 at 19% high school then fell to 10% 2021 YRBS
04
Alcohol use past month 12th graders down 10% since 2010 MTF 2022
05
Prescription opioid misuse halved from 10% to 4% 12th graders 2012-2022 MTF
06
Cocaine use stable low 2% teens past decade NSDUH
07
LSD use up 50% since 2017 among 12th graders MTF 2022
08
Inhalant use down 60% since 1990s among 8th graders MTF
09
Heroin use dropped 80% post-2016 MTF 12th graders
10
Vaping any substance peaked 2019 then declined 25% YRBS
11
Amphetamine misuse stable 5% decade MTF 2022
12
Binge drinking down 25% 12th graders 2005-2022 MTF
13
Synthetic marijuana use crashed from 10% to 1% 2011-2022 MTF
14
Ecstasy/MDMA up from 1.5% to 3% 12th graders 2016-2022 MTF
15
Cigarette smoking lifetime down 70% since 1991 MTF 12th graders
16
Delta-8 THC emerged new 10% use 2022 MTF
17
Tranquilizer misuse down 50% since 2002 MTF
18
Overall illicit drug use lowest since 1991 for 8th graders MTF 2022
19
Nicotine pouch use new up to 8% 12th graders 2022 MTF
20
Teen overdose deaths up 94% 2019-2021 CDC NVSS
21
Marijuana initiation age stable 17.5 years past decade NSDUH
22
Fentanyl driving teen opioid deaths 80% increase 2019-2022 CDC
23
Hallucinogen use rising post-COVID 12th graders MTF 2022
24
Alcohol decline continues 15 years straight MTF
Interpretation
Trends Interpretation
While most teen substance use trends are promising, the alarming rise in overdose deaths and potent synthetics like fentanyl starkly reminds us that progress in one area can mask a deadly shift to more dangerous substances.
05 · Category
Usage Prevalence29 stats
01
In 2022, 15.6% of 12th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past year, according to the Monitoring the Future survey
02
Among 10th graders in 2022, past-year marijuana use was reported by 29.6%, per Monitoring the Future data
03
8th graders showed a past-month vaping nicotine rate of 5.5% in 2022, from Monitoring the Future
04
Past-year hallucinogen use among 12th graders was 3.6% in 2022, Monitoring the Future survey
05
10th grade past-year cocaine use stood at 1.6% in 2022, per Monitoring the Future
06
NSDUH 2021 data indicates 29.2% of youth aged 12-17 used alcohol in the past year
07
Lifetime cigarette smoking among high school students was 11.3% in 2021, CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey
08
Past-30-day binge drinking among 12-17 year olds was 5.6% in 2021 NSDUH
09
4.0% of 8th graders used marijuana in the past month in 2022, Monitoring the Future
10
Past-year prescription opioid misuse among 12th graders was 4.3% in 2022, MTF
11
21.3% of high school students used marijuana ever in their lifetime per 2021 YRBS
12
NSDUH reports 3.5% past-year heroin use initiation among 12-17 year olds in 2021
13
2.1% of 10th graders reported past-year methamphetamine use in 2022, MTF
14
Past-month alcohol use among 12th graders was 29.1% in 2022, Monitoring the Future
15
1.8% lifetime inhalant use among 8th graders in 2022, MTF
16
CDC 2021 YRBS: 5.9% of high schoolers used cocaine
17
NSDUH 2021: 10.2% past-year illicit drug use excluding marijuana for 12-17
18
7.4% of 12th graders vaped marijuana in past month 2022, MTF
19
Past-year synthetic marijuana use 1.0% among 12th graders 2022, MTF
20
3.2% of high school students injected drugs lifetime, 2021 YRBS
21
NIDA reports 4% teen past-year ecstasy use average 2019-2022
22
14.7% of 12th graders used Adderall nonmedically past year 2022, MTF
23
CDC: 29% high schoolers ever used marijuana 2021
24
NSDUH: 1.4% past-year hallucinogen use 12-17 yo 2021
25
6.1% 10th graders past-month alcohol 2022, MTF
26
0.8% 12th graders past-year heroin use 2022, MTF
27
Lifetime vaping any substance 39.1% high school 2021 YRBS
28
Past-year tranquilizer misuse 2.6% 12th graders 2022, MTF
29
NSDUH 2021: 2.3% cocaine use past year 12-17
Interpretation
Usage Prevalence Interpretation
While these statistics reveal a troubling landscape of teen experimentation, the true concern lies not just in the percentages but in the reality that behind each number is a young person navigating a minefield of poor choices, where a single misstep with substances like opioids or cocaine can rewrite their future far more dramatically than their algebra final.
report visual · Comparison
Teen drug use snapshots (selected groups, 2021–2022)
Marijuana use is the most commonly reported illicit drug across multiple measures, while use of other substances varies by group and time window.
LGBTQ+ high school students: marijuana use (35%) vs straight (22%), YRBS 202135%
Ages 16–17: past-year marijuana use (25%) vs 12–13 (10%), NSDUH 202125%
Marijuana most commonly used illicit drug (past-year, ages 12–17), NSDUH 202115.5%
Past-year illicit drug use excluding marijuana (ages 12–17), NSDUH 202110.2%
Prescription opioids misused (lifetime), 12th graders, MTF 20227%
Injected drugs (lifetime), high school students, YRBS 20213.2%
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
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Teen Drug Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teen-drug-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Teen Drug Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teen-drug-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Teen Drug Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teen-drug-statistics.
Sources & references
7 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level