Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings, 2001.

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)