Young Americans are drinking and smoking less, but vaping and marijuana are gaining ground
The SAMHSA national survey reveals a decline in the use of alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs among adolescents and young adults. However, the rise of nicotine vaping and cannabis use across the general population poses new challenges for public health.
Young people drinking alcohol (File photo)
Teens and young adults in the United States are consuming less alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs than just a few years ago, but the picture changes when one looks at the rise in nicotine vaping and marijuana use among the general population.
This is shown by the most recent results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The study analyzes the habits of the non-institutionalized civilian population aged 12 and older and is one of the federal government's primary statistical sources on substance use, mental health, addiction and access to treatment.
Less alcohol, tobacco and drugs among adolescents
The data for 2025 shows a positive trend among adolescents aged 12 to 17.
In this group, there were decreases in tobacco and alcohol use in the past month, as well as drops in episodes of heavy drinking and illicit drug use in the past year. There were also declines in marijuana use and initiation into alcohol, vaping and cannabis.
The trend was also positive among young adults aged 18 to 25. In this group, there were decreases in recent use of nicotine products, cigarettes and alcohol, as well as in episodes of excessive consumption.
There was also a decline in illicit drug use and the misuse of prescription stimulants and opioids over the past year.
The results therefore contradict the notion that today's adolescents necessarily use more substances than previous generations.
A later transition to adulthood
Daniel Kruger, an associate research professor at the University at Buffalo, explained to ABC News that one possible reason for this decline is that young people are adopting certain behaviors traditionally associated with adulthood later in life.
Teenagers are getting their driver's licenses at older ages, staying in the family home longer and taking longer to become independent. This extended period of parental supervision may reduce opportunities to experiment with alcohol and other substances.
The social environment has also changed. Young people spend more time online and less time at in-person gatherings—spontaneous and unsupervised events that have historically been common settings for the use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
This explanation aligns with previous research linking the decline in adolescent use to reduced in-person contact, parental supervision, and the disruption of experimentation patterns during the pandemic.
Effects of public health campaigns
Denise Hien, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and director of its Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Studies, argues that public health messages also influence parents.
When adults are more aware of the risks, they reduce their own consumption and pass those habits on to their children.
Kruger also believes that education based on concrete information about the harms may be more effective than campaigns designed solely to scare teenagers.
Data from previous years already reflected this shift. In 2024, for example, 71.5% of adolescents who had used nicotine in the previous month reported that they had only vaped and had not used traditional tobacco products. Among young adults, that proportion was 50.3%.
Vaping is replacing traditional cigarettes
Although total nicotine use is declining among young people, e-cigarettes have partially displaced conventional tobacco products.
Among people aged 12 and older, the percentage who reported having vaped nicotine in the past month increased from 8.3% in 2022 to 10.1% in 2025.
Experts and anti-vaping organizations point out that the availability of discreet devices and e-liquids with sweet or fruity flavors has contributed to normalizing their use, especially among young people.
This shift does not necessarily mean that all teenagers are vaping more. The survey shows an overall decline in vaping initiation among minors, but it also indicates that e-cigarettes have become the primary means of nicotine consumption for many of those who do use them.
Marijuana use is rising in the general population
Cannabis follows a similar trend.
Among people aged 12 and older, marijuana use in the past year rose from 19% in 2021 to 21.2% in 2025. The increase, however, was not concentrated among adolescents: in that group, both recent and annual use declined.
Data from 2024 already showed that the national increase was driven primarily by adults. That year, marijuana use in the past month had not changed significantly among those aged 12 to 17 or among young adults aged 18 to 25, while it increased among people aged 26 and older.
The expansion of recreational legalization in several states, greater commercial availability and a less negative social perception of cannabis are among the possible explanations.
Reduced perception of risk
In Hien's view, the rise in vaping and cannabis use may represent a partial substitution for traditional substances.
For years, teens and young adults have received clear warnings about the effects of alcohol, cigarettes and opioids. However, they may view marijuana and e-cigarettes as less harmful.
This difference in risk perception is significant because less concern about potential harm is often associated with a greater willingness to experiment.
E-cigarettes can contain high concentrations of nicotine and lead to dependence, while frequent cannabis use can affect memory, attention, coordination and mental health, especially when it begins during adolescence.
Change in habits, not an end to the problem
Rather, they show a shift: alcohol, traditional cigarettes and some drugs are becoming less prevalent, while products perceived as more modern, discreet or less dangerous are filling part of that space.
The challenge for health authorities will be to adapt their messages to these new habits without ignoring the progress made in reducing smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and illicit drug use among adolescents.
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