Statistics

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is an annual drug use survey of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (NIDA, 2021).

More than 11,800 students from 112 schools across the United States participated in the 2020 survey.*

*Data collection stopped prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Completed surveys represent about 25% of the size of a typical year’s data collection. However, results were gathered from a broad geographic range and were statistically weighted to be nationally representative.

Monitoring the Future Study: Trends in Prevalence of Inhalants for 8th Graders, 10th Graders, and 12th Graders; 2020 (in percent)*

Drug

Time Period

8th Graders

10th Graders

12th Graders

Inhalants

Lifetime

12.6%

7.4%

3.8%


Past Year

6.1%

2.9%

1.1%


Past Month

2.9%

1.2%

0.7%

Source: https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/inhalants/inhalants-trends-statistics

According to the MTF and NIDA the use of inhalants among eighth graders is trending downward (NIDA, 2024).

According to a 2020 survey, 2.4 million people in the U.S. ages 12 and older had used an inhalant in the past year. According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2023 less than 1% of people ages 12 and older reported using inhalants at least once in the past year.

https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/inhalants#references

Source: Miech, R. A., Johnston, L. D., Patrick, M. E., & O’Malley, P. M. (2025). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2024: Overview and detailed results for secondary school students. Monitoring the Future Monograph Series. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Available at https://monitoringthefuture.org/results/annual-reports/

Substance use among eighth graders receiving child welfare services compared to eighth graders in the general population

Kobulsky (2019) compared inhalant use of 896 eighth grade child welfare children and 16,900 children in the general population. They found a 17% higher 30 day inhalant use in out-of-home placement amongst the child welfare children but a lower or comparable substance use with the general population when in the child welfare care

Table 1.37B – Inhalant Use in Lifetime among Persons Aged 12 or Older, by Age Group and Demographic Characteristics: Percentages, 2018 and 2019
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Aged 12+
(2018)		 Aged 12+
(2019)		 Aged
12-17
(2018)		 Aged
12-17
(2019)		 Aged 18+
(2018)		 Aged 18+
(2019)
TOTAL 9.1 9.1 8.5 8.8 9.1 9.1
GENDER            
Male 11.8 11.7 8.5 8.8 12.2 12.0
Female 6.5 6.7 8.6 8.9 6.3 6.5
HISPANIC ORIGIN AND RACE            
Not Hispanic or Latino 9.5 9.7 9.0 9.2 9.6 9.7
White 10.9 11.2 9.2 9.4 11.1 11.3
Black or African American 3.9 3.7 8.7 8.8 3.4 3.1
American Indian/Alaska Native 11.3 8.8 5.4 12.4 12.0 8.3
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander * 7.3 * * * 6.6
Asian 4.5 3.9 7.8 6.0 4.2 3.7
Two or More Races 13.6 15.6 9.7 11.0 14.3 16.6
Hispanic or Latino 6.7 6.5 7.1 7.7 6.6 6.4
Source: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29394/NSDUHDetailedTabs2019/NSDUHDetailedTabs2019.htm

Instant Feedback:

Table 1.37B indicates? (Select the best answer).

In recent years male adolescents were more likely than female adolescents to report use of inhalants.
Inhalant use among 8th graders is trending upward.
 Inhalant use varied by race
 All of the above

 

References

Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2020). Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed tables. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29394 /NSDUHDetailedTabs2019/NSDUHDetailedTabs2019.htm

Kobulsky JM. (2019).The prevalence of substance use in child welfare and general population eighth graders in the United States. Subst Use Misuse. 54(10),1618-1626.

Miech, R. A., Johnston, L. D., Patrick, M. E., & O’Malley, P. M. (2025). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2024: Overview and detailed results for secondary school students. Monitoring the Future Monograph Series. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Available at https://monitoringthefuture.org/results/annual-reports/

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021). Monitoring the future 2020 survey results. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/monitoring-future-2020-survey-results

NIDA. 2024, September 18. Inhalants. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/inhalants on 2025, January 23