News Release

Young adults’ daily use of marijuana a concern

2016 drug use data among college/non-college age adults now available

This is Archived Content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). View current news releases on nida.nih.gov.

2016 Monitoring The Future Young Adults Survey Results See larger image

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced that the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results of drug use among full-time college students and their non-college peers are now available online, highlighting that daily marijuana use is at the highest level since the early 1980s for this age group.

Below are the highlights from the 2016 MTF survey results on drug use among college students compared to their peers not attending college (ages 19-22).

  • Daily marijuana use is at the highest level since the early 1980s for this age group (7.8%), reaching the highest level seen for non-college youth (12.8%) and among the highest for full-time college students (4.9%).
  • Non-college peers appear to be drinking less alcohol than their college counterparts with respect to binge drinking (28.7% vs. 32.4%) and intoxication (30.4% vs 40.8%). Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks and intoxication is defined as having been drunk in the last month.
  • Past year amphetamine use without medical supervision appears to be higher in college students than their non-college peers. Ritalin use is 2.4% vs. 1.6% and Adderall use is 9.9% vs. 6.2%, respectively.
  • Past year hookah use appears to be lower in college students and their non-college peers (16.9% and 19.8%) and is trending down in college students (27.9% in 2011 vs. 16.9% in 2016).
  • For both cigarettes and e-vaporizers*, past month use for college students and their non-college peers went down.

It is important to note that the Food and Drug Administration began regulating e-cigarettes and hookahs in August 2016, which could have affected marketplace availability. *E-vaporizers may include nicotine, other drugs or no drug at all (i.e., flavoring only).

Additional data and infographic can be found on NIDA’s College-Age & Young Adults webpage, which also includes links to statistics and trends, an updated list of more than 400 college programs in addiction science, and other relevant materials for those holding events during National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week® early next year.

For more information, go to NIDA’s College-Age & Young Adults webpage.

For more information, contact the NIDA press office at media@nida.nih.gov or 301-443-6245. Follow NIDA on Twitter. and Facebook.