December 21, 2024

YOUTH

 Newseek - Gen Z is saying no to drugs, as the percentage of students who abstained from drugs reached record levels this year, according to research from the University of Michigan. The declines were prevalent across alcohol, marijuana and nicotine vaping, which are the three more common substances used by adolescents.

This study is the latest in a series that has shown Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012) having little to no interest in drugs or alcohol.  In July, a study found that 64 percent of legal-drinking-age Gen Zers in the United States said they had not consumed alcohol in the six months leading up to May, according to the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR), a global drinks data and analytics provider. This data reflects a generational shift in attitude toward alcohol.

The study defines abstention as no use of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine cigarettes, or e-cigarettes within the past 30 days.  In 2024, abstention rates reached 67 percent for 12th graders, a notable increase from 53 percent in 2017, when this measure was first recorded. Among 10th graders, the abstention rate was 80 percent, up from 69 percent in 2017, and for eighth graders, it reached 90 percent, compared to 87 percent in 2017.   The study found that there were declines across substances.

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