Past year use of opioids by high school seniors, 2002-2020

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Self-report Behaviors

Q:	What are the trends in past year use of opioids among high school seniors?
A:	Non-prescription use of opioids reported by high school seniors has declined since 2002.

Notes: * Such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, and codeine.

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Past year use of opioids other than heroin has declined over the last 10 years, from 8.7% of high school seniors in 2011 to 2.1% in 2020. Vicodin use has followed a similar pattern, but the decline was more substantial (from 8.1% in 2011 to 1.2% in 2020).
Counter to the trend for Vicodin, past year use of Oxycontin reported by high school seniors increased between 2019 and 2020.
Past year heroin use has remained relatively stable since 2012, at an average of one-half of 1% of high school seniors reporting annual use during that time period.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/offenders/qa03513.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on August 30, 2021.

Data Source: Adapted from Johnston, L. D., Miech, R. A., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., Schulenberg, J. E., & Patrick, M. E. (2021). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2020: Overview, key findings on adolescent drug use. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.