Monitoring the Future Study Annual Report - 2026 - Overview and key findings for secondary school students

Oct 15, 2026

Monitoring the Future Study Annual Report 2026 presents national survey results on drug use for 1975–2025, focusing on secondary school students. The report synthesizes key findings from 2025, describes study design and procedures, and outlines current prevalence and trends across demographic groups and substance categories. It also summarizes patterns of initiation and noncontinuation, intensity of drug use, and attitudes and beliefs, together with the social context shaping use. Included appendices provide adjusted prevalence and trend estimates and reference updates to survey question text.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages92

Reading Time3 h 52 min

AccessFree to download

CHAPTER 1– Introduction

Content Areas Covered

Drug Classes

Attitudes, Beliefs, and Early Experiences

Over the Counter Substances

Cumulative Lifetime Daily Cannabis Use

Trends in Use of Specific Alcoholic Beverages

Prescription Drugs

Synopses of Other MTF Publications

Appendices

Purposes and Rationale for This Research

CHAPTER 2 – Overview of Key Findings in 2025

Executive Summary

Richard A. Miech Megan E. Patrick Patrick M. O’Malley Justin O. Jager Joy B. Jang 2026 Monitoring the Future Study Annual Report National Survey Resultson Drug Use, 1975–2025: Overview and key findings for secondary school students MONITORING THE FUTURE NATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS ON DRUG USE, 1975–2025: OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS by: Richard A. Miech, Ph.D. Megan E. Patrick, Ph.D. Patrick M. O’Malley, Ph.D. Justin O. Jager, Ph.D. Joy B. Jang, Ph.D. University of Michigan Institute for Social Research Sponsored by: National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health This publication was written by the principal investigators and staff of the Monitoring the Future project atthe Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, under Research Grant Nos. R01 DA 001411 andR01 DA 016575 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health. Copyright Notice © 2026, The Regents ofthe University of Michigan Monitoring The Future, [Institute for Social Research-](Institute for Social Research-monitoringthefuture.org)[monitoringthefuture.org](Institute for Social Research-monitoringthefuture.org) These materials are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) All materials appearing in this report may be reproduced or copied, whether in print or in nonprint media including derivatives, in any reasonable non-commercial manner, without permission from the authors. We ask that if you do plan to modify the material, please indicate that changes were made and contact MTF at [mtfinformation@umich.edu](mtfinformation@umich.edu) for verification of accuracy. Accessibility Note This document is not yet accessible. We are actively working on creating an accessible version. If you would like to be notified when it is ready, please contact us [at](at mtfinformation@umich.edu)[ ](at mtfinformation@umich.edu)[mtfinformation@umich.edu](at mtfinformation@umich.edu). Recommended Citation Miech, R. A., Patrick, M. E., O’Malley, P. M., Jager, J. O., & Jang, J. B. (2026). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2025: Overview and key findings for secondary school students. Monitoring the Future Monograph Series. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Published December 2025, Updated January 2026 Abbreviated Content Click on any item below togo directly to that page. CHAPTER 1– Introduction ____________________________________________________ 10 CHAPTER 2 – Overview of Key Findings in 2025 _________________________________ 19 CHAPTER 3 – Study Design and Procedures ____________________________________ 24 CHAPTER 4 – Drug Use in 2025: Current Prevalence by Demographic Groups (Forthcoming) _______________________________________________________________ 40 CHAPTER 5 – Trends in Substance Use ________________________________________ 41 CHAPTER 6 – Initiation and Noncontinuation: Prevalence and Trends (Forthcoming) 76 CHAPTER 7– Intensity of Drug Use (Forthcoming) _______________________________ 77 CHAPTER 8 –Attitudes and Beliefs About Drug Use (Forthcoming) ________________ 78 CHAPTER 9 – The Social Context (Forthcoming) ________________________________ 79 CHAPTER 10 – Study Publications (Forthcoming)________________________________ 80 Appendix A – Prevalence and Trend Estimates Adjusted for Absentees and Dropouts (Forthcoming) _______________________________________________________________ 81 Appendix B – Definition of Background and Demographic Subgroups (

FAQs

What period and population does the report cover?

The report covers drug use results for 1975–2025 and focuses on secondary school students.

Which topics are included in the report’s overview of key findings?

It includes key findings for 2025, covering current prevalence by demographic groups, trends in substance use, initiation and noncontinuation, intensity of drug use, and attitudes and beliefs, along with the social context.

Are the estimates adjusted and are there materials with additional reference tables?

Yes. The appendices include prevalence and trend estimates adjusted for absentees and dropouts, and trend tables for all substances spanning 1975–2025.

Oct 15, 2026

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