September 30, 2021
Marijuana and hallucinogen consumption rose, alcohol intake fell among college students
According to the 2020 Monitoring the Future study, conducted between March and November 2020, the number of college students who reported using marijuana increased from 38% in 2015 to 44% in 2020, while alcohol use decreased from 62% in 2019 to 56% in 2020, with binge drinking falling to an historic low of 24%. John Schulenberg, the study’s principal investigator, says, “We clearly see that young people use alcohol as something to be taken at parties and gatherings. With the pandemic, those weren't happening, so the alcohol intake and binge drinking dropped.'
Read the Washington Post article, College students reported record-high marijuana use and record-low binge drinking in 2020, study says.
The full report, Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2020: Volume 2, College students and adults ages 19-60, is available.