38% of teens use a substance by age 16: 5 study notes

More than one-third (38%) of adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study reported lifetime substance use by age 16, with alcohol, cannabis and nicotine accounting for most use, according to a study published July 23 in Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports.

Researchers analyzed ABCD Study Release 6.0 data from 11,868 U.S. participants recruited at ages 9 to 10 and followed annually from Sept. 1, 2016, through Jan. 15, 2024. Substance use data were collected through annual interviews, Timeline Followback assessments and midyear phone interviews. The analysis examined lifetime and past-year substance use prevalence, sex differences, census-weighted prevalence estimates and patterns of polysubstance use.

Here are five things to know:

1. Substance use increased with age. Lifetime substance use rose from 0.8% at age 9 to 37.5% by age 16, while past-year use increased from 0.8% to 30.0%.
   
2. Alcohol, cannabis and nicotine were the most commonly used substances. By age 16, lifetime prevalence reached 25.6% for alcohol, 22.1% for cannabis and 20.4% for nicotine.
   
3. Girls reported higher substance use during mid-adolescence. Boys reported more substance use before age 12, but from age 13 onward, girls reported higher rates of alcohol, cannabis and nicotine use.
   
4. Polysubstance use was common. Nearly 15% of participants reported using two or more substances, with nicotine and cannabis representing the most frequent combination.
   
5. Weighted and unweighted estimates were similar. Census-weighted prevalence estimates did not significantly differ from the raw data, suggesting the cohort’s substance use trends aligned with broader U.S. adolescent patterns after demographic adjustment.

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