The percentage of young and midlife adults using nicotine pouches significantly increased last year, while cannabis use, vaping and the use of psychedelic drugs are at or near all-time highs, according to the latest data from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Panel survey.
"Alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance across age groups, followed by cannabis and nicotine," said Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the MTF Panel Study. "The patterns of substance use are changing over time, with cannabis use, vaping of both nicotine and cannabis, and psychedelic drug use increasing across all age groups. This year, we also saw an increase in the use of nicotine pouches across all age groups."
Data for the 2024 panel study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (R01DA016575), were collected via online and paper surveys from April 2024 through October 2024. Key findings include:
Nicotine pouch use (past 12-month use) significantly increased from 2023 to 2024 among all age groups (ages 19 to 30, 35 to 50 and 55 to 65). Nicotine pouch use was first measured in 2023, and it has doubled in one year, with 9.5% of 19-to-30-year-olds reporting past 12-month use in 2024.
Cannabis use (past 12-month, past 30-day and daily use) in 2024 remained near or at the recent highest levels ever recorded among adults ages 19 to 30, all with significant increases across the past five and 10 years. Among adults ages 35 to 50, cannabis use (past 12-month, past 30-day and daily use) prevalence has doubled or nearly doubled (and significantly increased) over the past five and 10 years. In addition, cannabis use disorder has increased over the past five years among adults ages 40 to 50.
Vaping cannabis (past 12-month and past 30-day use) reached the highest levels ever recorded in 2024. Among adults ages 19 to 30, prevalence in the past year doubled since it was first measured in 2017 for this group, increasing significantly over the past five years. Vaping cannabis significantly increased among adults ages 35 to 50 (past 12-month) and among adults ages 55 to 65 (past 12-month and past 30-day), also reaching new high levels in 2024.
Vaping nicotine (past 12-month and past 30-day use) reached the highest levels ever recorded in 2024. For example, among adults ages 19 to 30, prevalence in the past month tripled since this measure was first added to the survey in 2017. Vaping nicotine (past 12-month and past 30-day) significantly increased over the past five years among adults ages 19 to 30 and 35 to 50, reaching new historic high levels in 2024.
Use of psychedelic drugs/hallucinogens (past 12-month use) has continued to rise, reaching the highest levels ever recorded in 2024 among adults ages 19 to 30 and 35 to 50, following significant increases over the past five and 10 years in these age groups.
In addition, there have been significant increases in stimulant drug use (amphetamines and cocaine, past 12-month) over the past ten years among adults ages 35 to 50.
Since 1975, the Monitoring the Future study has annually surveyed substance use behaviors and attitudes among a nationally representative sample of teens.
A longitudinal panel study component of Monitoring the Future conducts follow-up surveys on a subset of these participants (about 20,000 people per year), collecting data from individuals every other year from ages 19 to 30 and every five years after age 30 to track their drug use through adulthood. Participants self-report their drug use behaviors across various periods, including lifetime, past-year (12 months), past-month (30 days), and other use frequencies depending on the substance type.
"The power of surveys such as Monitoring the Future is that we can document how substance use evolves in the population over time," Patrick said. "As more and more of our original cohorts-first recruited as teens-now enter later adulthood, we are also able to examine the effects of drug use throughout the life course on health and well-being decades later.
"Behaviors and public perceptions about drug use can shift rapidly, based on drug availability and other factors. It's important to track this so that public health professionals and communities can be prepared to respond. Collecting data to document these population-level patterns is critical for informing our nation's public health priorities."
Additional information is available in the report, including data on substance use among young adults attending college, as well as those who have not attended college.
Results from the related 2024 Monitoring the Future study of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among teens in the United States were released in December 2023, and 2024 results are upcoming in December 2025.
The Monitoring the Future study is conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
