Philly Voice Substance use fell among adolescents when COVID-19 hit. Those declines have continued – to the surprise of some experts. he majority of teenagers in the U.S. do not drink, smoke or use marijuana, a new report shows.
The percentage of teens abstaining from alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in 2024 was the highest since 2017, when the annual Monitoring the Future study began tracking the figure. The percentage of 12th-grade students who abstained from drug use was 67% in 2024, compared to 53% in 2017. Similarly, the percentage of 10th-graders who abstained rose from 69% to 80%. Abstention rates remained fairly level for eighth-graders, rising from 87% to 90%.
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