Facts About Teens and Drug Use
Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined. Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for all persons age 6–33. About 45% of these fatalities are alcohol-related crashes.
More than 60% of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school.
Youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than young people who never drink alcohol.
About 64% of teens (12-17) who have abused pain relievers say they got them from friends or relatives, often without their knowledge. While rates of illicit drug use are declining, the rate of prescription drug use remains high.
15.4% of HS seniors reported non-medical use of at least one prescription medication within the past year.
In 2008, 1.9 million youth age 12 to 17 abused prescription drugs. Around 28% of teens know a friend or classmate who has used ecstasy, with 17% knowing more than one user.
By the 8th grade, 52% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 41% have smoked cigarettes, and 20% have used marijuana.
Teenagers whose parents talk to them regularly about the dangers of drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don't, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.
Sources: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base
Prescription for Danger
