In 2023, 5.0% of students reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days, and marijuana stayed the most common with 3.7% reporting use at least once. Daily or near-daily marijuana use was reported by 1.3% of students. By grade, past-month marijuana use rose from 0.8% in 8th grade to 3.8% in 12th grade.
Key Takeaways
- 5.0% of students reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2023
- 1.3% of students reported using marijuana (THC) daily or near-daily in 2023
- 3.8% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past 30 days in 2023
- In 2022, there were 1,861 overdose deaths among adolescents aged 12–17 years in the United States
- In 2022, there were 3,824 overdose deaths among ages 18–19 years in the United States
- Between 2019 and 2022, the overdose death rate for ages 12–17 increased by 94%
- In 2021, there were 60,573 emergency department visits involving opioid overdoses for ages 12–17 in the US
- In 2021, there were 118,680 emergency department visits involving opioid overdoses for ages 18–25 in the US
- In 2021, there were 1,995 emergency department visits involving stimulant overdoses for ages 12–17
- In 2022, there were 9,361,000 substance use treatment admissions among people aged 12–17 in the US (estimated)
- In 2022, 1,231,000 adolescents aged 12–17 received substance use treatment (estimated)
- SAMHSA estimated that 909,000 adolescents aged 12–17 had a substance use disorder in 2022
- A 2018 CDC study reported that 1 in 4 adolescents were offered or provided prescription opioids by someone else (lifetime exposure) (US, youth survey estimate)
- In 2017, 6.2% of high school students reported taking prescription pain relievers without a prescription in the past month
- In 2019, 5.6% of high school students reported using prescription drugs without a prescription in the past month
In 2023, 5% of students used illicit drugs in the past 30 days, with marijuana most common.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates30 stats
01
5.0% of students reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2023
02
1.3% of students reported using marijuana (THC) daily or near-daily in 2023
03
3.8% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past 30 days in 2023
04
2.0% of 12th graders reported using vaping nicotine in the past 30 days in 2023
05
1.2% of 10th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2023
06
0.8% of 8th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2023
07
3.7% of students reported using marijuana at least once in the past 30 days in 2023
08
2.0% of students reported using prescription drugs (nonmedical) in the past 30 days in 2023
09
0.7% of students reported using cocaine in the past 30 days in 2023
10
0.2% of students reported using heroin in the past 30 days in 2023
11
0.9% of students reported using hallucinogens in the past 30 days in 2023
12
0.3% of students reported using inhalants in the past 30 days in 2023
13
1.6% of students reported using any prescription opioid (nonmedical) in the past 30 days in 2023
14
0.4% of students reported using MDMA/ecstasy in the past 30 days in 2023
15
0.6% of students reported using synthetic marijuana (“K2/Spice”) in the past 30 days in 2023
16
0.5% of students reported using misused prescription stimulants in the past 30 days in 2023
17
1.0% of 12th graders reported using prescription sedatives (nonmedical) in the past 30 days in 2023
18
0.6% of 10th graders reported using prescription sedatives (nonmedical) in the past 30 days in 2023
19
0.4% of 8th graders reported using prescription sedatives (nonmedical) in the past 30 days in 2023
20
2.5% of students reported using marijuana one or more times in the past 12 months in 2023
21
1.0% of students reported using any illicit drug one or more times in the past 12 months in 2023
22
7.6% of students reported using alcohol in the past 30 days in 2023
23
2.6% of students reported binge drinking (5+ drinks in a row in past 2 weeks) in 2023
24
0.7% of students reported using inhalants in the past 12 months in 2023
25
0.6% of students reported using hallucinogens in the past 12 months in 2023
26
0.4% of students reported using cocaine in the past 12 months in 2023
27
0.2% of students reported using heroin in the past 12 months in 2023
28
3.8% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past 30 days in 2022
29
4.2% of students reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2019
30
4.0% of students reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2020
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
In 2023, marijuana remains the most commonly used drug among teenagers, with 5.0% reporting any illicit drug use in the past 30 days while 3.7% reported marijuana use at least once in that same period.
02 · Category
Overdose & Mortality25 stats
01
In 2022, there were 1,861 overdose deaths among adolescents aged 12–17 years in the United States
02
In 2022, there were 3,824 overdose deaths among ages 18–19 years in the United States
03
Between 2019 and 2022, the overdose death rate for ages 12–17 increased by 94%
04
Between 2019 and 2022, the overdose death rate for ages 18–19 increased by 69%
05
In 2022, the overdose death rate for ages 12–17 was 8.7 per 100,000
06
In 2022, the overdose death rate for ages 18–19 was 35.1 per 100,000
07
In 2021, 1,940 overdose deaths occurred among adolescents aged 12–17 years in the United States
08
In 2020, there were 1,642 overdose deaths among adolescents aged 12–17 years in the United States
09
In 2019, there were 1,187 overdose deaths among adolescents aged 12–17 years in the United States
10
In 2022, there were 1,571 overdose deaths among males aged 12–17 years
11
In 2022, there were 290 overdose deaths among females aged 12–17 years
12
In 2022, males aged 12–17 had an overdose death rate of 12.2 per 100,000
13
In 2022, females aged 12–17 had an overdose death rate of 4.5 per 100,000
14
In 2022, opioid-involved overdose deaths accounted for 91.0% of adolescent overdose deaths (12–17)
15
In 2022, synthetic opioid-involved overdose deaths accounted for 68.8% of adolescent overdose deaths (12–17)
16
In 2022, 3.8% of overdose deaths among ages 12–17 involved cocaine
17
In 2022, 8.5% of overdose deaths among ages 18–19 involved cocaine
18
In 2022, 28.4% of overdose deaths among ages 12–17 involved benzodiazepines
19
In 2022, 35.1% of overdose deaths among ages 18–19 involved benzodiazepines
20
In 2022, 46.5% of overdose deaths among ages 12–17 were among White individuals
21
In 2022, 34.9% of overdose deaths among ages 12–17 were among Black individuals
22
In 2022, 9.8% of overdose deaths among ages 12–17 were among Hispanic individuals
23
In 2022, 48.2% of overdose deaths among ages 18–19 were among White individuals
24
In 2022, 29.8% of overdose deaths among ages 18–19 were among Black individuals
25
In 2022, 11.0% of overdose deaths among ages 18–19 were among Hispanic individuals
Interpretation
Overdose & Mortality Interpretation
From 2019 to 2022, the overdose death rate among ages 12 to 17 nearly doubled with a 94% increase, reaching 8.7 per 100,000 in 2022, while opioids drove the majority at 91.0% of adolescent overdose deaths.
03 · Category
Health System Impact9 stats
01
In 2021, there were 60,573 emergency department visits involving opioid overdoses for ages 12–17 in the US
02
In 2021, there were 118,680 emergency department visits involving opioid overdoses for ages 18–25 in the US
03
In 2021, there were 1,995 emergency department visits involving stimulant overdoses for ages 12–17
04
In 2021, there were 12,662 emergency department visits involving stimulant overdoses for ages 18–25
05
In 2020, there were 43,732 emergency department visits involving opioid overdoses for ages 12–17
06
Between 2010 and 2019, the rate of adolescent drug overdose emergency department visits increased from 15.8 per 10,000 to 34.0 per 10,000
07
In 2021, 7,010 adolescents aged 12–17 were hospitalized for opioid overdose in the US
08
In 2021, 18,030 young adults aged 18–25 were hospitalized for opioid overdose in the US
09
In 2021, there were 1,118 inpatient admissions for opioid overdose among ages 12–17
Interpretation
Health System Impact Interpretation
In 2021, opioid overdose emergency department visits were nearly twice as high for ages 18–25 (118,680) as for ages 12–17 (60,573), and across 2010 to 2019 the adolescent overdose rate climbed from 15.8 to 34.0 per 10,000.
More related reading
04 · Category
Treatment & Outcomes14 stats
01
In 2022, there were 9,361,000 substance use treatment admissions among people aged 12–17 in the US (estimated)
02
In 2022, 1,231,000 adolescents aged 12–17 received substance use treatment (estimated)
03
SAMHSA estimated that 909,000 adolescents aged 12–17 had a substance use disorder in 2022
04
In 2022, 84.7% of adolescents with a substance use disorder did not receive specialty treatment
05
In 2022, only 15.3% of adolescents with a substance use disorder received specialty treatment
06
In 2020, 39% of adolescents with substance use disorders received treatment (among those who needed it)
07
14.6% of adolescents aged 12–17 who needed but did not receive treatment received no specialty care in 2019 (estimated)
08
Only 1 in 10 adolescents with a substance use disorder receive treatment (estimated)
09
In 2021, 81.0% of youth substance use disorder treatment admissions were in outpatient settings
10
In 2021, 19.0% of youth substance use disorder treatment admissions were in residential/inpatient settings
11
In 2022, 20.9% of adolescents reported needing treatment but not receiving it (estimated)
12
In 2021, adolescents aged 12–17 represented 7.4% of all substance use disorder admissions to specialty treatment facilities
13
In 2021, 18.2% of adolescents receiving treatment had a primary diagnosis of cannabis use disorder
14
In 2021, 6.7% of adolescents receiving treatment had a primary diagnosis of opioid use disorder
Interpretation
Treatment & Outcomes Interpretation
In 2022, about 909,000 adolescents aged 12–17 had a substance use disorder but only 15.3% received specialty treatment, meaning roughly 84.7% went without it.
05 · Category
Risk Factors18 stats
01
A 2018 CDC study reported that 1 in 4 adolescents were offered or provided prescription opioids by someone else (lifetime exposure) (US, youth survey estimate)
02
In 2017, 6.2% of high school students reported taking prescription pain relievers without a prescription in the past month
03
In 2019, 5.6% of high school students reported using prescription drugs without a prescription in the past month
04
In 2021, 6.6% of high school students reported using prescription drugs without a prescription in the past year
05
In 2017–2019, 22% of adolescents reported that their parents or guardians kept prescription opioids available at home
06
In 2017–2019, 16% of adolescents reported that their parents or guardians did not secure prescription medications
07
Adolescents who report peer disapproval of substance use show lower likelihood of use; in one analysis, perceived peer disapproval was associated with 30% lower odds of current marijuana use (study estimate)
08
In a national survey analysis, adolescents with poor school connectedness had 2.1x higher odds of past-year substance use disorder diagnosis (study estimate)
09
A meta-analysis found that impulsivity is associated with a 1.5 standard deviation increase in substance use risk among adolescents (meta-analytic effect size)
10
A longitudinal study found that early initiation of alcohol/drugs increased the probability of later substance use by 1.8x (study estimate)
11
In the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 4.1 million adolescents aged 12–17 had substance use disorder needs (estimated)
12
In 2023 NSDUH, 2.7 million adolescents aged 12–17 had any substance use disorder (estimated)
13
In 2023, 1.7 million adolescents aged 12–17 had a major depressive episode (estimated) (risk factor context for substance use)
14
In 2023, 2.2 million adolescents aged 12–17 had co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder (estimated)
15
In 2020, 18.0% of high school students reported mental health factors associated with increased substance use risk (CDC YRBS measure)
16
In 2023, 22.2% of high school students reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless (CDC YRBS national)
17
In 2023, 13.6% of high school students reported that they carried a weapon (risk factor context)
18
In 2023, 7.9% of high school students reported that they did not go to school because they felt unsafe (risk factor context)
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
Across recent years, prescription drug misuse remains common and persistent, with 6.2% of high school students reporting nonmedical use in 2017 rising to 6.6% by 2021, while 4.1 million adolescents in 2023 had substance use disorder needs.
06 · Category
Behavioral Trends8 stats
01
Between 2018 and 2023, the past-30-day marijuana use rate among high school students decreased from 7.6% to 6.9% (CDC YRBS national trend)
02
Between 2018 and 2023, binge drinking among high school students increased from 10.6% to 11.5% (CDC YRBS national trend)
03
Between 2018 and 2023, vaping among high school students increased from 10.5% to 7.4% (CDC YRBS trend; context includes 2020–2022 declines)
04
In 2023, 9.0% of high school students reported ever using marijuana
05
In 2023, 2.5% of high school students reported current opioid use without a prescription (past 30 days)
06
2023: 5.4% of 8th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days (Monitoring the Future)
07
2023: 9.5% of 10th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days (Monitoring the Future)
08
2023: 12.2% of 12th graders reported using any illicit drug in the past 30 days (Monitoring the Future)
Interpretation
Behavioral Trends Interpretation
From 2018 to 2023, marijuana use edged down from 7.6% to 6.9% while binge drinking rose from 10.6% to 11.5% and vaping shifted to 6.9% from 10.5%, even as illicit drug use in 2023 climbed with grade from 5.4% of 8th graders to 12.2% of 12th graders.
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
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Teenage Drug Abuse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teenage-drug-abuse-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Teenage Drug Abuse Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teenage-drug-abuse-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Teenage Drug Abuse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teenage-drug-abuse-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+19 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)