A record 91% of eighth grade students and 82% of 10th grade students reported no use of alcohol, cannabis or nicotine in the past 30 days, according to a study conducted by the Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.
Researchers surveyed nationally representative samples of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students in spring 2025 using a two-stage, stratified sampling design. Students completed web-based questionnaires and self-reported use of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and other substances across lifetime and 30-day intervals, as well as attitudes, access and social norms. The 2025 results mark the 51st year of trend data for 12th grade students and the 35th for eighth and 10th grade students, allowing comparisons back to the 1990s and earlier.
Here five finding to know:
- Among 12th grade students, abstention held steady at 66% — a point off the 2024 high and up 42 percentage points from 24% in 1976.
- Despite concerns about substance use “snapping back” after COVID-19 disruptions, use of alcohol, cannabis and nicotine vaping remained stable or declined slightly in all three grades. None of the changes from 2024 to 2025 were statistically significant.
- Use of nicotine pouches such as Zyn increased modestly across all grades. In 2025, lifetime use rose to 10% among 12th grade students, up from 7% in 2024. Researchers noted use remains well below peak levels seen with smokeless tobacco in the 1990s.
- Use of heroin and cocaine remains low — less than 2% — but increased significantly in 8th and 12th grades. Heroin use nearly doubled among 12th grade students (0.2% to 0.9%), while cocaine use rose from 0.9% to 1.4%.
- In 2025, 26% of 12th grade students reported using cannabis in the past 12 months — the lowest level since the early 1990s.
