Press release
Thursday August 29, 2024
An NIH-supported study shows that binge drinking and vaping are also reaching historically high levels among young adults, as well as middle-aged adults.
According to the report, past-year use of cannabis and hallucinogens among people aged 19 to 30 and 35 to 50 remained at historically high levels in 2023. Latest results From the investigation Monitoring the Future. In both adult age groups, past-year cigarette use remained historically low. Past-month alcohol use and daily alcohol use continued to decline over the past decade among people ages 19 to 30, while binge drinking reached a new low. The prevalence of binge drinking among people ages 35 to 50 has increased since 2005 and 2010. Scientists at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor are leading the Monitoring the Future study, which is supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The number of adults aged 19 to 30 who reported vaping nicotine or cannabis in the past year has increased over the past five years. Both trends are expected to remain at high levels in 2023. The prevalence of cannabis and nicotine vaping among adults aged 35 to 50 remained the same as the previous year. Long-term trends (five to ten years) are not yet visible in this group, as this question was only added in the 2019 survey.
In 2023, female respondents aged 19 to 30 reported higher rates of past-year cannabis use than their male counterparts in the same age group. This reflects a shift in the gender gap. In contrast, males aged 35 to 50 maintained higher rates of past-year cannabis use than females of the same age. This is consistent with the trend observed over the past decade.
Nora D. Volkow MD is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the NIH. These findings underscore the need for more rigorous research on the risks and benefits associated with cannabis and other hallucinogens, particularly in light of the emergence of new products.
The first evidence of Future Monitoring A nationally representative sample was surveyed annually about drug use behaviors and attitudes. The Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel Study collects data on participants every two years between the ages of 19 and 30, and then every five years after age 30 to track their drug use into adulthood. Participants self-report their drug use behaviors over various time periods, such as lifetime, past 12 months, and past 30 days. Data for the 2023 Panel Study were collected through an online and paper survey from April to October 2023.
You can download the full data summaries, data tables and trend breakdowns by substance. The reportThe main conclusions are as follows:
In 2023, cannabis use in both age groups remained historically high. In 2023, 42 % of adults aged 19 to 30 reported using cannabis in the past year. 29 % used cannabis in the past month. 10 % used cannabis daily (on at least 20 occasions). Among adults aged 35 to 50, the reports were 29 %, 19 %, and 8 %, respectively. These 2023 estimates are not statistically different from those in 2022, but they reflect increases over five and ten years for both age categories.
In 2023, 22 % of people aged 19 to 30 and 14 % reported vaping cannabis in the past year or month. French People aged 35 to 50 were 9 % and 6.6 %. These figures are historical highs for the youngest age group and represent a five-year increase.
In 2023, the number of adults aged 19 to 30 who vape nicotine will continue to reach historical highs. The percentage of people who reported vaping nicotine in the past year and month was 25 % and 19 %, respectively. The percentages are up from 5 years ago, but not from a year ago. The prevalence of nicotine vaping among adults aged 35 to 50 remained the same as the previous year (2022), with 7 and 5 percent reporting use in the past month and past year.
In 2023, hallucinogen use by both groups continued to increase, reaching 9 % among adults aged 19–30 years and 4 % among adults aged 35–50 years. Participants reported using LSD, mescaline, or peyote as well as mushrooms, psilocybin, and PCP.
The study found that alcohol is the most commonly used substance by adults. Over the past five years, there has been a slight increase in alcohol consumption among adults aged 19 to 30. 84,% of them reported having drunk alcohol in the past year. The study found that the percentage of adults aged 19 to 30 who drank alcohol in the past month (65,%), their daily consumption (4,%), as well as binge drinking (27,%) remained unchanged in 2023. The figures are lower than those of 10 years ago. The percentage of people who drank in the past month and those who drank binge (5 or more drinks consecutively in the past two weeks) decreased significantly compared to the previous year for this group. (drops to 68 % in 2022 for alcohol consumption in the last month and to 31 % in 2022 for excessive alcohol consumption).
In 2023, 84 % of people aged 35 to 50 reported drinking alcohol in the past year. This is not significantly different from five years ago or ten years ago. In this age group, binge drinking and past month drinking have increased slightly over the past 10 years. In 2023, binge drinking and past month drinking were 27 % and 69 %, respectively. Daily alcohol consumption in this group has declined over the past five years and reached its lowest level in history in 2023 (8 %)
Other data: In 2023, both groups of adults maintained their five- and 10-year age declines in past-month smoking, past-year nonmedical prescription drug use, and past-year opioid medication use (surveyed as “narcotics, other than heroin”). Use of stimulants, also known as amphetamines, declined among adults ages 19 to 30. Among adults ages 35 to 50, past-year stimulant use increased over the past 10 years. Drug use among college and noncollege students and various demographic subgroups such as race, gender, and ethnicity are also included in the data.
As 2023 was the first year that a cohort in the Monitoring the Future study reached age 65, no trends are available for the 55–65 age group.
Megan Patrick, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future study panel, said, “The 2023 data showed us few meaningful differences from the previous year, but the power of surveys like Monitoring the Future allows you to track the long-term ebbs and flows of substance use.” As more of the original cohorts, initially recruited in adolescence, now reach adulthood, we can examine trends and effects of drug use over the life course. This study, which will be completed in the coming years, will provide us with important data on drug use trends, health effects, and retirement.
Learn more about the data collection method for the Monitoring the Future Panel study and how the study adjusts for the effects of potential exclusions. The report. Results from the Monitoring the Future 2023 study on drug use behaviors and attitudes among adolescents in the United States have been released since December 2023. Results for 2024 will be available in December 2020.
Help is available for anyone in need. You can call or text at 988 Chat on 988lifeline.org. Visit to learn more about how you can get help for drug and alcohol problems, mental illness or other conditions. FindSupport.gov. You can use the search engine to find a provider or treatment center. FindTreatment.gov Call 800-662-HELP (4357).
The National Institute on Drug Abuse: NIDA is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA is responsible for the majority of the world's research on substance abuse and its health effects. The Institute has a broad range of programs that aim to improve policy, advance substance abuse research, and inform practice. Visit NIDA's website for more information about its programs and services. www.nida.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health: The NIH is the medical research agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It consists of 27 institutes and centers. The NIH, the nation's medical research agency, is responsible for conducting basic, translational, clinical, and other types of medical research. It also studies the causes, treatments, and cures of common and rare diseases. Visit the NIH website for more information about its programs and services. www.nih.gov.
NIH…Transforming Discovery into Health(r)
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