Trends in teen drug use: good news and bad news.

Dear Teacher:

There's both good and bad news about teens and drug abuse. The latest numbers are in from NIDA's annual "Monitoring the Future" survey, and they show that in the past three years there's been a record-setting 17 percent drop in illicit drug use by students in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades combined. This finding provides satisfying proof that efforts--by a wide range of agencies and individuals, including teachers like you--are paying off to educate teens about the risks of drug use and the disease of addiction.

Now for the bad news. The survey also found that the use of inhalants (household products, such as markers and paint thinner, whose fumes users inhale to achieve a high) has climbed among 8th-graders for the second year in a row. Also, although abuse rates for two prescription painkillers--Vicodin[R] and OxyContin[R]--are stable, they remain high.

In this year's third installment of Heads Up, we present students with these findings and arm them with science-based facts about the truly frightening risks of abusing inhalants and prescription painkillers.

Research supported by NIDA has shown that students who are exposed to research-based prevention programs have lower rates of future drug use and other risky behaviors than students who aren't. With Heads Up, and our many other efforts, we at NIDA are working toward the day when students across the country understand the facts so well that each and every one decides not to try drugs--NOT EVEN ONCE.

Thank you for being a critical part of the battle against drug abuse and addiction among our youth--an increasingly successful effort. You are truly saving lives.

Sincerely, Nora D. Volkow, M.D. Director of NIDA