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This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2019 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The 2018 subgroup data presented in this report accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2019: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (see ED604018) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2018: Volume I, Secondary School Students" (see ED599067). The trends presented in this occasional paper in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The trends are presented in tabular and graphic forms and cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 385 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels.

Substance use is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality; it is in large part why, among 17 high-income nations, people in the U.S. have the highest probability of dying by age 50. Substance use is also an important contributor to many social ills including child and spouse abuse, violence more generally, theft, suicide, and more; and it typically is initiated during adolescence. It warrants sustained attention. Monitoring the Future (MTF) is designed to give sustained attention to substance use among the nation's youth and adults. It is an investigator-initiated study that originated with, and is conducted by, a team of research professors at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Since its onset in 1975, MTF has been continuously funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse--one of the National Institutes of Health--under a series of peer-reviewed, competitive research grants. The 2017 survey, reported in this report, is the 43rd consecutive survey of 12th grade students and the 27th such survey of 8th and 10th graders. This annual monograph series has been a primary vehicle for disseminating MTF's epidemiological findings. This monograph presents the results of the 43rd survey of drug use and related attitudes and beliefs among American high school seniors and 27th such survey of 8th and 10th grade students. The next monograph in this series will report the 38th such survey of American college students and same-age youth who do not attend college, as well as findings regarding substance use prevalence and trends among adults through age 60. An annual monograph on risk and protective behaviors for the spread of HIV/AIDS2 among young adults was added beginning in 2009. (In years prior to 2009, findings from the study on risk and protective behaviors related to the spread of HIV/AIDS were contained in "Volume II.") [For the report from the previous year "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016. Volume I, Secondary School Students," see ED578730. For Volume II "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED589764. For "Demographic Subgroup Trends among Adolescents in the Use of Various Licit and Illicit Drugs, 1975-2017. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Series. Paper 90," see ED589759. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED589762.]

The present volume presents new 2017 findings from the U.S. national Monitoring the Future (MTF) follow-up study concerning substance use among the nation's college students and adults from ages 19 through 55. The authors report 2017 prevalence estimates on numerous illicit and licit substances, examine how substance use differs across this age span, and show how substance use and related behaviors and attitudes have changed over the past four decades. MTF, now in its 44th year, is a research program conducted at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research under a series of investigator-initiated, competing research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse--one of the National Institutes of Health. The integrated MTF study comprises several ongoing series of annual surveys of nationally representative samples of 8th and 10th grade students (begun in 1991), 12th grade students (begun in 1975), and high school graduates followed into adulthood (begun in 1976). The authors report the results of the repeated cross-sectional surveys of all high school graduating classes since 1976 as they follow them into their adult years (as discussed in Chapter 3, these cross-sections come from longitudinal data). Segments of the general adult population represented in these follow-up surveys include: (1) U.S. college students; (2) their age-peers who are not attending college, sometimes called the "forgotten half,"; (3) all young adult high school graduates of modal ages 19 to 30 (or 19-28 for trend estimates), to whom we refer as the "young adult" sample; and (4) high school graduates at the specific later modal ages of 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55. This volume emphasizes historical and developmental changes in substance use and related attitudes and beliefs occurring at these age strata. The follow-up surveys have been conducted by mail on representative subsamples of the previous participants from each high school senior class. This volume presents data from the 1977 through 2017 follow-up surveys of the graduating high school classes of 1976 through 2016, as these respondents have progressed into adulthood. The oldest MTF respondents, from the classes of 1976-80, have been surveyed through age 55 in 2013-2017, 37 years after their graduation. [For the report from the previous year "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578605. For Volume I "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume I, Secondary School Students," see ED589763. For "Demographic Subgroup Trends among Adolescents in the Use of Various Licit and Illicit Drugs, 1975-2017. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Series. Paper 90," see ED589759. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED589762.]

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a long-term study of substance use and related factors among U.S. adolescents, college students, and adult high school graduates through age 55. It is conducted annually and supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. MTF findings identify emerging susbstance use problems, track substance use trends, and inform national policy and intervention strategies. MTF is designed to detect age, period, and cohort effects in substance use and related attitudes. Age effects are similar changes at similar ages seen across multiple class cohorts; they are common during adolescence. Period effects are changes that are parallel over a number of years across multiple age groups (in this case, all three grades under study--8, 10, and 12). Cohort effects are similar changes among those of a similar age or grade in school, that are then maintained as the cohorts age. The key findings for 8th, 10th, and 12th graders surveyed across the coterminous U.S. in 2017 are summarized in this report. [For the report from the previous year "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED578534. For "Demographic Subgroup Trends among Adolescents in the Use of Various Licit and Illicit Drugs, 1975-2017. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Series. Paper 90," see ED589759. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume I, Secondary School Students," see ED589763. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED589764.]

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2017 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants to the University of Michigan. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2017 subgroup data presented accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2017: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017: Volume I, Secondary School Students." Prior to 2014 subgroup data were available in tabular form only in Appendices B and D of the relevant year's "Volume I." Since 2014, the MTF subgroup definitions and data have been presented in this series of occasional papers, in both tables and figures to facilitate the examination and interpretation of trend data. The "Overview of Key Findings" presents trends in prevalence, perceived risk, disapproval, and perceived availability for most drugs under study and a brief description of subgroup differences. Volume I contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds--licit and illicit--and a number of related factors, such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, noncontinuation of drug use, perceived availability, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD, and sources of prescription drugs used outside of medical supervision. The trends offered in this report in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 385 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels. [For the report from the previous year "Demographic Subgroup Trends among Adolescents in the Use of Various Licit and Illicit Drugs, 1975-2016. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Series. Paper 88," see ED578738. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED589762. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume I, Secondary School Students," see ED589763. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED589764.]

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2016 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th , 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants to the University of Michigan. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2016 subgroup data presented here accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (ED578534) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016: Volume I, Secondary School Students" (ED578730). The trends offered here in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 367 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels.

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of, and trends in, the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 8 and 15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are discussed in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females; region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census; and population density differentiates trends for five levels of community size. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578605.]

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a long-term study of American adolescents, college students, and adult high school graduates through age 55. It has been conducted annually by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research since its inception in 1975 and is supported under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The 2016 MTF survey involved about 45,500 students in 8th-, 10th-, and 12th grades enrolled in 372 secondary schools nationwide. The first published results based on the 2016 survey are presented in this report. The report begins with a synopsis of the design and methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2016 survey. A separate section for each individual drug class is then provided, including figures that show trends in the overall proportions of students at each grade level (1) using the drug; (2) seeing a "great risk" associated with its use (perceived risk); (3) disapproving of its use (disapproval); and (4) saying that it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get if they wanted to (perceived availability). For 12th graders, annual data are available since 1975 and for 8th and 10th graders since 1991, the first year they were included in the study. [For the 2015 edition of this report, see ED578539.]

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a long-term study of American adolescents, college students, and adult high school graduates through age 55. It has been conducted annually by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research since its inception in 1975 and is supported under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The 2015 MTF survey involved about 44,900 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in 382 secondary schools nationwide. The first published results are presented in this report. The report begins with a synopsis of the design and methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2015 survey. This is followed by a separate section for each individual drug class, providing figures that show trends in the overall proportions of students at each grade level (1) using the drug; (2) seeing a "great risk" associated with its use (perceived risk); (3) disapproving of its use (disapproval); and (4) saying that it would be fairly or very easy to get if they wanted to (perceived availability). For 12th graders, annual data are available since 1975 and for 8th and 10th graders since 1991, the first year they were included in the study.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2015 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants to the University of Michigan. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2015 subgroup data presented here accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2015: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (ED578539) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2015: Volume I, Secondary School Students" (ED578604). The trends offered here in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 367 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those grade levels.

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of, and trends in, the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 8 and 15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are discussed in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females; region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census; and population density differentiates trends for five levels of community size. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2015. Volume 2, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578731.]

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of and trends in the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 8-15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are contained in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females; region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census; and population density differentiates trends for five levels of urbanicity. The Table of Contents and List of Figures in this occasional paper contain clickable links to the content and figures. Following each figure is a table giving the numerical values associated with each trend line in that figure. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014. Volume 2, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578455.]

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2014 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2014 subgroup data presented here accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2014: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014: Volume I, Secondary School Students." Since 2013, the MTF subgroup definitions and data have been presented in a series of occasional paper, such as this, as tables and figures to facilitate the examination and interpretation of trend data. "Volume I" contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds--licit and illicit--and a number of related factors, such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, noncontinuation of drug use, perceived availability, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD, and sources of prescription drugs used outside of medical supervision. The trends offered here in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) gender; (2) college plans; (3) region of the country; (4) population density; (5) education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section below. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those grade levels. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014. Volume 1, Secondary School Students," see ED578369. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED578603.]

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a long-term study of American adolescents, college students, and adults through age 55. It has been conducted annually by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research since its inception in 1975 and is supported under a series of investigator-initiated, competing research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The 2013 MTF survey encompassed about 41,700 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in 389 secondary schools nationwide. The first published results are presented in this report. Recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs are emphasized, as well as trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug. This project has shown these beliefs and attitudes to be particularly important in explaining trends in use. In addition, trends in the perceived availability of each drug are presented. The report begins with a synopsis of the design and methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2013 survey. This is followed by a separate section for each individual drug class, providing figures that show trends in the overall proportions of students at each grade level (1) using the drug; (2) seeing a "great risk" associated with its use (perceived risk); (3) disapproving of its use (disapproval); and (4) saying that it would be fairly or very easy to get if they wanted to (perceived availability). For 12th graders, annual data are available since 1975 and for 8th and 10th graders since 1991, the first year they were included in the study. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2013. Volume 1, Secondary School Students," see ED578546.]

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup trends for U.S. secondary school students in a series of figures and tables. It supplements two of four annual monographs from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, namely the "Overview of Key Findings" and "Volume I: Secondary School Students." MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants. The full 2013 survey results are reported in "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2013: Volume I, Secondary School Students." That monograph contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds, licit and illicit, and a number of related factors such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, non-continuation of drug use, perceived availability, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD, and sources of prescription drugs used outside of medical supervision. Until 2012, "Volume I" contained the tabular data on trends in drug use for various demographic subgroups that are now presented in the present occasional paper. The trends offered here in tabular form and graphic form--the latter for ease of comprehension--cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) gender; (2) college plans; (3) region of the country; (4) population density; (5) education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in a separate chapter. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's annual surveys were expanded to include those grade levels. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2013. Volume 1, Secondary School Students," see ED578546. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2013: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED578545.]

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of and trends in the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 9-15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are contained in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females, region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census, and population density differentiates trends for five levels of urbanicity. The Table of Contents and List of Figures are actively linked to the content and figures in this occasional paper. Following each figure is a table giving the numerical values associated with each trend line in that figure. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2013. Volume 2, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578547.]

The full 2010 survey results are reported in "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975;2010: Volume I, Secondary School Students". That monograph contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds, licit and illicit, and a number of related factors such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, non-continuation of drug use, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD, and sources of prescription drugs used outside of medical supervision. Appendix D of "Volume I" contains tabular data on trends in drug use for various demographic subgroups for each of the many drugs under study. The present occasional paper presents those same subgroup trends in "graphic form", because graphic presentations are much easier to comprehend. (Showing the trends in color greatly facilitates the differentiation of the various trend lines in each graph.) Historically, the graphic presentations have not been included in "Volume I" due both to their length and the cost of printing them in color. Even though the annual monographs from the study now are published electronically on the study's Website, rather than in paper form, the authors continue to make the graphic presentation of the subgroup trends available in this separate document in the MTF Occasional Paper series. Trend data are presented for 12th-grade respondents beginning with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Trend data for 8th and 10th grades are presented beginning with 1991, when the study's annual surveys were expanded to include those grade levels. The numerical information upon which these graphics are based is contained in the relevant appendix D tables of "Volume I". Detailed definitions of the demographic categories are given in appendix B of that volume. (Contains 258 figures.)

Now in its 35th year, Monitoring the Future (MTF) is a long-term program of research conducted at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research under a series of investigator-initiated research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The study is comprised of several ongoing series of annual surveys of nationally representative samples of 8th- and 10th-grade students (begun in 1991), 12th-grade students (begun in 1975), and high school graduates into adulthood (begun in 1976). The current monograph reports the results of the repeated cross-sectional surveys since 1976 following graduating high school seniors into their adult years. Several segments of the general adult population are covered in these follow-up surveys: (1) American college students; (2) Their age peers who are not attending college, sometimes called the "forgotten half"; (3) All young adult high school graduates of modal ages 19 to 30, which the authors refer to as the "young adult" sample; and (4) High school graduates at the specific modal ages of 35, 40, 45, and 50. Changes in substance abuse and related attitudes and beliefs within each of these various age strata receive particular emphasis. The authors can summarize the findings on trends as follows: For more than a decade--from the late 1970s to the early 1990s--the use of a number of "illicit" drugs declined appreciably among 12th-grade students, and declined even more among American college students and young adults. In 1992, eighth graders exhibited a significant increase in annual use of "marijuana," "cocaine," "LSD," and "hallucinogens other than LSD," as well as an increase in "inhalant" use. Over the years, MTF has demonstrated that changes in perceived risk and disapproval have been important causes of change in the use of a number of drugs. These beliefs and attitudes are almost certainly influenced by the amount and nature of public attention paid to the drug issue in the historical period during which young people are growing up. Another lesson that derives from the MTF epidemiological data is that social influences that tend to reduce the "initiation" of substance use also have the potential to deter "continuation" by those who have already begun to use, particularly if they are not yet habitual users. The drug problem is not an enemy that can be vanquished. It is more a recurring and relapsing problem that must be contained to the greatest extent possible on an ongoing basis. Therefore, it is a problem that requires an ongoing, dynamic response--one that takes into account the continuing generational replacement of children, the generational forgetting of the dangers of drugs that can occur with that replacement, and the perpetual stream of new abusable substances that will threaten to lure young people into involvement with drugs. An index is included. (Contains 30 tables, 74 figures and 64 footnotes.) [For related reports, see "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2009. Volume I, Secondary School Students. NIH Publication Number 10-7584" (ED529150) and "Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings, 2009. NIH Publication Number 10-7583" (ED529149).]

This occasional paper serves as a supplement to one of four annual monographs from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, written by the study's investigators and published by the study's sponsor, the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The full 2009 survey results are reported in "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2009: Volume I, Secondary School Students". That monograph contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds and a number of related factors such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, non-continuation of drug use, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, and use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD. Appendix D of Volume I contains tabular data on trends in drug use for various demographic subgroups for each of the many drugs under study. The present occasional paper presents those subgroup trends in "graphic" form, because graphic presentations are much easier to comprehend. The graphic presentations have not been included in "Volume I" due both to their length and the cost of printing them in color. Trend data are presented for 12th-grade respondents beginning with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Trend data for 8th and 10th grades are presented beginning with 1991, when those grade levels were added to the study design. The numerical information upon which these graphics are based is contained in the relevant appendix D tables of Volume I. Detailed definitions of the demographic categories are given in appendix B of that volume. For the reader's convenience, both appendix B and appendix D have also been included in this occasional paper. (Contains 258 figures and 1 footnote.)

Since the mid-1960s, when illicit drug use burgeoned in the normal youth population, substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly changing phenomenon. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously the nation responds to teenage substance use, how accurately it identifies the substance abuse problems that are emerging, and how well it comes to understand the effectiveness of policy and intervention efforts depend on the ongoing collection of valid and reliable data. Monitoring the Future (MTF), a long-term study of American adolescents, college students, and adults through age 50, is designed to generate such data in order to provide an accurate picture of what is happening in this domain and why, has been ongoing on an annual basis since its inception in 1975. In recent years, the trends in drug use have become more complex, as cohort effects, lasting differences between class cohorts that stay with them as they advance through school and beyond, have emerged. These effects result in the various grades reaching peaks or valleys in different years; thus, various age groups are sometimes moving in different directions at a given point in history. A synopsis of the design and methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2008 survey are included, followed by sections for each individual drug class, providing figures that show trends in the overall proportions of students at each grade level (1) using the drug; (2) seeing a "great risk" associated with its use; (3) disapproving of its use; and (4) saying that they think they could get it "fairly easily" or "very easily" if they wanted to. The years for which data on each grade are available are 1975-2008 for 12th graders and 1991-2008 for 8th and 10th graders. Tables at the end of the report provide the statistics underlying the figures, and present data on lifetime, annual, 30-day, and (for selected drugs) daily prevalence. (Contains 6 footnotes and 17 tables.) [For 2007 overview, see ED502205.]

Periodically, Maryland's sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders are surveyed to determine the nature, extent, and trend of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among adolescents. The "2007 Maryland Adolescent Survey (MAS)" presents the latest findings regarding ATOD use by Maryland's adolescents and compares State and local findings with national findings and trends. The survey also provides data about: protective factors; adolescents' knowledge about the consequences of ATOD use; parenting and peer influences; impaired driving among twelfth graders; and how safe adolescents feel at school, going to or from school, and in their neighborhoods. State and local prevention professionals plan and evaluate Maryland's ATOD prevention efforts by using information contained in this report. Participants were drawn from the sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades in Maryland's public elementary, middle and high schools, using a multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling procedure. This method allows the generalization of results for each grade at both the local jurisdiction and State levels. The survey was completed by 33,057 adolescents and represents 12 to 14 percent of the State's enrollment at each surveyed grade level and an 84% overall response rate. ATOD usage levels in 2007 (for the last 30 days) decreased from 2004 for many substances and increased for very few. Adolescents in all surveyed grade levels reported a decrease in the use of alcohol and cigarettes; for marijuana there was a decrease in use in grades eight, ten, and twelve and no change among sixth graders. Twelfth graders reported a decrease or no change in 30 day usage of other drugs for every substance except prescription narcotics. For tenth graders, there was a decrease or no change for every substance except LSD and cocaine (other than crack). Eighth graders reported a decrease or no change in use for every substance. Sixth graders reported the same usage level for most other drugs but higher usage levels for, methamphetamines, amyl/butyl nitrates, and heroin. Even when 2007 levels increased compared to 2004, they were consistently down over the long term. Respondents continue to report that ATOD are more available off of school property than on school property. Similarly, adolescents who use alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana report that these substances are safer to consume than students who do not use them. While the continued decrease in usage trends is encouraging, the findings of the "2007 MAS" still show that adolescents have tried and continue to use many substances. Appendices include: (1) Schools Not Included in the Sampling Frame for the 2007 MAS; (2) 2007 Maryland Adolescent Survey Form 3, Grade 12; (3) 2007 Maryland Adolescent Survey Teacher's Guide; and (4) Local School System Findings. (Contains 94 exhibits and 10 footnotes.

Since the mid-1960s, when illicit drug use burgeoned in the normal youth population, substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly changing phenomenon. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously the nation responds to teenage substance use, how accurately it identifies the substance abuse problems that are emerging, and how well it comes to understand the effectiveness of policy and intervention efforts depend on the ongoing collection of valid and reliable data. Monitoring the Future (MTF), a long-term study of American adolescents, college students, and adults through age 45, is designed to generate such data in order to provide an accurate picture of what is happening in this domain and why, has been ongoing on an annual basis since its inception in 1975. In recent years, the trends in drug use have become more complex, as cohort effects, lasting differences between class cohorts that stay with them as they advance through school and beyond, have emerged. These effects result in the various grades reaching peaks or valleys in different years; thus, various age groups are sometimes moving in different directions at a given point in history. Cohort effects for cigarette smoking were observed throughout most of the life of the study, but such effects were much less apparent for illicit drugs until the past decade and a half. Eighth graders have been the first to show turnarounds in illicit drug use: they were the first to show an upturn in use in the early 1990s and the first to show a decline in use after 1996. They have generally shown the greatest proportional declines from recent peak levels of use, attained for the most part during the 1990s, while the proportional declines have generally been the least at 12th grade. A number of drugs showed modest continuing declines in use in 2007, although few of the one-year changes reached statistical significance. These included marijuana, and all of the stimulant drugs other than cocaine. Most of the other drugs held steady in their use in 2007, generally following decreases in their use in prior years. Only the ecstasy (MDMA) class of drugs under study showed any sign of increase in use in 2007. A synopsis of the design and methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2007 survey are included, followed by sections for each individual drug class, providing figures that show trends in the overall proportions of students at each grade level (1) using the drug; (2) seeing a "great risk" associated with its use; (3) disapproving of its use; and (4) saying that they think they could get it "fairly easily" or "very easily" if they wanted to. The years for which data on each grade are available are 1975-2007 for 12th graders and 1991-2007 for 8th and 10th graders. Tables at the end of the report provide the statistics underlying the figures, and present data on lifetime, annual, 30-day, and (for selected drugs) daily prevalence. (Contains 6 footnotes, 17 figures, and 13 tables.) [For 2006 overview, see ED497304.]

This occasional paper is intended to serve as a supplement to the larger annual volume, "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2006: Volume I: Secondary School Students." This supplement contains the graphic presentation of the trends in drug use for various demographic subgroups, namely those defined by gender, college plans, region of the country, population density, education level of the parents, and racial and ethnic identification. It presents trend data for 12th-grade respondents from 1975, the first year nationally representative samples of high school seniors were obtained. Data are also presented on 8th- and 10th-grade students from 1991, the first year they were added. Two appendixes from the larger volume are included for the convenience of the reader. Appendix D contains the numerical information upon which these graphs are based. Appendix B contains detailed information of the demographic categories being used. (Contains 108 tables and 252 figures.) [For "Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Paper 66," see ED508289. For "Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2006: Volume I: Secondary School Students," see ED498428.]

This monograph provides the 1975-2005 national trends in smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use among American secondary school students. It covers subgroup differences, attitudes and beliefs about use, social milieu, degree and duration of drug highs, initiation rates, prevalence and frequency, and trends in illicit drug and alcohol use. Drug use by age 45 is also covered. Most of the information reported deals with illicit use of controlled substances. The major exceptions are alcohol, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, inhalants, nonprescription stimulants, creatine, and androstenedione. This report focuses attention on drug use at the higher frequency levels rather than simply to report proportions that have ever used various drugs. This is done to help differentiate levels of seriousness, or extent, of drug involvement. Over more than a decade--from the late 1970s to the early 1990s--the use of a number of illicit drugs declined appreciably among 12th-grade students, and declined even more among American college students and young adults. These substantial improvements--which seem largely explainable in terms of changes in attitudes about drug use, beliefs about the risks of drug use, and peer norms against drug use--have some extremely important policy implications. Another lesson that derives from the epidemiological data in this study is that social influences that tend to reduce the initiation of substance use also have the potential to deter the continuation of use by those who have already begun to use, particularly if they are not yet deeply involved in use. The following are appended: (1) Prevalence and Trend Estimates Adjusted for Absentees and Dropouts; (2) Definition of Background and Demographic Subgroups; (3) Estimation of Sampling Errors; (4) Trends by Subgroup: Supplemental Tables for Secondary School Students; and (5) Trends in Specific Subclasses of Hallucinogens, Amphetamines, Tranquilizers, and Narcotic Drugs Other Than Heroin. (Contains 187 tables and 96 figures.)

Results from the Monitoring the Future's 2005 nationwide survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students are given in this report. Recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs are emphasized, as well as trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug. This study has shown these beliefs and attitudes to be particularly important in explaining trends in use. In addition, trends in the perceived availability of each drug are presented. Following an introductory section are a synopsis of the methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2005 survey. Next is a section for each individual drug class, providing figures that show trends in the overall proportions of students at each grade level: (1) using it; (2) seeing a "great risk" associated with its use; (3) disapproving its use; and (4) saying that they could get the drug "fairly easily" or "very easily." Trends for the interval 1991-2005 appear for all grades and for 1975-2005 for the 12th graders. The tables at the end of this report provide the statistics underlying the figures. In addition, they present data on lifetime, annual, 30-day, and (for selected drugs) daily prevalence. (Contains 13 tables.)

This report presents an overview of the key findings from the Monitoring the Future 2002 nationwide survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. A particular emphasis is placed on recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs. Trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug--which this study has shown to be particularly important in explaining trends in use--are also presented, as well as trends in perceived availability of the various drugs. A separate section is then presented for each class of drugs. These sections contain graphs showing trends in past-year use. They also show trends in perceived risk, disapproval, and perceived availability of marijuana, inhalants, LSD, cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, barbiturates, club drugs (ecstasy and rohypnol), alcohol, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and steroids. The surveys generated a more positive picture than has been seen in recent years. Quite a number of illicit drugs showed broad declines, most notably ecstasy for the first time; cigarette smoking dropped sharply in all grades; and drinking alcohol and getting drunk were down in all grades. (Contains 9 tables.) (GCP)

This report presents an overview of the key findings from the Monitoring the Future 2001 nationwide survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. A particular emphasis is placed on recent trends in the use of licit and illicit drugs. Trends in the levels of perceived risk and personal disapproval associated with each drug--which this study has shown to be particularly important in explaining trends in use--are also presented, as well as trends in perceived availability of the various drugs. A separate section is then presented for each class of drugs. These sections contain graphs showing trends in past-year use. They also show trends in perceived risk, disapproval, and perceived availability of marijuana, inhalants, LSD, cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, barbiturates, club drugs (ecstasy and rohypnol), alcohol, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and steroids. Key findings show that the overall illicit drug use among teens remained steady in 2000 in all three grades as well as for specific drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, hallucinogens other than LSD, tranquilizers, barbiturates, and alcohol. Key findings mixed results, as did the 1999 and 2000 surveys. The primary drug showing an increase in 2001 was ecstasy, which had been rising sharply since 1998. In contrast to this increase, a number of other drugs showed evidence of some decline in 2001. One of the most important such declines involved heroin, which had been at or near peak levels in recent years. (Contains 9 tables.) (GCP)