Intoxicants usage among US students by grade, sex and race

Drug use among American students is a persistent and serious problem in modern US society. The development of telecommunication services has seriously simplified the process of accessing drugs not only for adults, but even for children, and contributed to a shift in the use patterns of 12th, 10th and 8th graders who regularly use intoxicants. 

According to the survey conducted by US National Center for Health Statistics, alcohol remains the most "popular" intoxicant among observed groups. The use of alcohol by the survey group, along with cigarettes, cocaine, and (for the most part) ecstasy, steeply decreased between the 1998 and 2013 surveys. In contrast, marijuana use among all age groups surveyed increased between 2008 and 2013 and, for 12th and 10th-grade respondents, nearly reached the record use levels reported in 1998. Notably, absent from the survey is a group of intoxicants extensively covered in US news media: prescription medications. Perhaps we'll see this apparent modern intoxicant of choice added to future surveys.