US teens are using less of every substance – except for one

Adolescent drug use in the US largely declined in 2024, with one exception: nicotine pouches. Compared with the previous year, their use roughly doubled among teenagers, though overall rates remain low.

Between February and June 2024, Richard Miech at the University of Michigan and his colleagues surveyed more than 24,200 adolescents at 272 secondary schools across the US. For students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade – which typically corresponds to ages 13 to 14, 15 to 16 and 17 to 18, respectively – use of almost every drug…