Monitoring the Future Study

Summary of Findings Through 1995

Between 1994 and 1995 use of cigarettes and most illicit drugs increased among students in all three grades surveyed. In addition, fewer students expressed negative perceptions of drug use. In most cases, these changes continued recent trends that began in the early 1990's and reversed a decade or more of decreases in drug use. All changes noted below are statistically significant.

Cigarette Use

• Between 1994 and 1995, past month (30 days) cigarette use increased from 25.4 to 27.9 percent among 10th graders and from 31.2 to 33.5 percent among seniors. Similarly, daily smoking increased from 14.6 to 16.3 percent for 10th graders and from 19.4 to 21.6 percent for seniors.

• Since 1991, past month smoking has increased from 14.4 to 19.1 percent for 8th graders, 20.8 to 27.9 percent for 10th graders, and 28.3 to 33.5 percent for 12th graders.

• Although African American students continue to have the lowest rates of smoking, rates are going up for students in all racial/ethnic groups. Current cigarette use increased from 1992 to 1995 among white and black students in all three grades and among white, black, and Hispanic 8th graders.

Illicit Drug Use

• Use of marijuana/hashish continued to climb. Between 1994 and 1995, lifetime and past year marijuana use increased among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, and past month use increased among 8th and 12th graders. This was the third consecutive increase in lifetime and past year marijuana use among 10th and 12th graders and the fourth for 8th graders. Among seniors, marijuana use in 1995 was the highest since 1989 for lifetime use, 1987 for past year use, and 1986 for past month use. In addition, daily marijuana use, an index of very high-risk use, increased for 10th and 12th graders.

• Driven in large part by the rise of marijuana, lifetime, past year, and past month use of any illicit drug increased among 8th and 10th graders. Past year use of any illicit drug increased among seniors.

• Past year use of hallucinogens, including LSD, increased among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders between 1994 and 1995, and past month use of these drugs increased for 10th and 12th graders.

• Past month use of cocaine in any form increased for 10th graders; this increase was primarily due to crack, which showed increases in lifetime, past year, and past month use among 10th graders.

• Heroin use in the lifetime, past year, and past month increased among seniors, and past month heroin use increased for 10th graders. For seniors, lifetime heroin use was at 1.2 percent in 1994 and at 1.6 percent in 1995. These increases appear mainly to reflect use of heroin in noninjectable forms.

• Use of stimulants increased among 10th graders for all three levels of recency of use.

Perceived Harmfulness and Availability

• The perceived risk of drug use continued to decrease. The percentage of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders reporting "great risk" in trying marijuana once or twice or in smoking the drug occasionally decreased. Among seniors, the percent of seniors reporting "great risk" in regular marijuana use has decreased steadily from 78.6 percent in 1991 to 60.8 percent in 1995.

• The percent reporting "great risk" in trying crack or cocaine powder or in using these drugs occasionally decreased among 8th and 10th graders.

• The perceived risk of smoking a pack or more of cigarettes per day decreased among 10th graders.

• The percentage reporting that marijuana was "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get increased among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. The perceived availability of LSD increased for 8th and 10th graders.

Alcohol Use

• Alcohol use continued at unacceptably high levels. Notably, however, daily drinking increased among 12th graders, and more 10th graders reported having "been drunk" daily in the past month.