A national study reveals a significant drop in alcohol and drug consumption among American teenagers in 2024. The Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, an annually funded federal study, indicates a substantial decrease in teen alcohol use between 2000 and 2024. Twelfth-grade alcohol use plummeted from 73% to 42%, tenth-grade use fell from 65% to 26%, and eighth-grade use dropped from 43% to a mere 13%.
The University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research conducts the MTF study with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The study surveys over 25,000 students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades to track behavioral patterns, attitudes, and values. A separate panel study by MTF follows approximately 20,000 adults aged 19 to 65 to monitor long-term trends.
The 2024 MTF study highlighted a significant decline in alcohol use across all three grade levels. Not only was there a long-term overall decline, but there were also statistically significant decreases in lifetime and past 12-month alcohol use for both 12th and 10th graders. Tenth graders also showed a significant reduction in past 30-day alcohol use. Binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row within a two-week period, also decreased across all grades in 2024 compared to 2023 and the preceding two and a half decades.
Since 2000, binge drinking rates have fallen dramatically: from 30% to 9% for 12th graders, 24% to 5% for 10th graders, and 12% to 2% for 8th graders.
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The study also found that teen cigarette use in 2024 reached its lowest point since tracking began in 1975 for 12th graders and 1991 for 10th and 8th graders. Researchers attribute this decline to increased public awareness and policy changes, particularly the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, which granted the FDA regulatory power over tobacco products. They predict that this sustained decrease in smoking will lead to substantial long-term public health benefits.
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Marijuana use among teens also declined in 2024 across all grades. Current annual marijuana use is considerably lower than the peak observed in the late 1970s. In 2024, 26% of 12th graders, 16% of 10th graders, and 7% of 8th graders reported using marijuana in the past 12 months.
