BLOOMINGTON — Substance use among Indiana middle and high school students has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, according to newly released data from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.
The annual study, administered by the university’s Prevention Insights Center, analyzed survey responses from approximately 55,000 students in grades 6 through 12 across 180 public and private schools statewide.
Jon Agley, associate professor and executive director of Prevention Insights, said this is a new phenomenon, with statistically significant decreases in many substances and from many grade levels.
Sharp Declines in Alcohol, Vaping, and Marijuana
The findings show widespread reductions across several major substance categories:
- Alcohol Use: Among students in grades 7 through 12, past-month alcohol consumption dropped from 19.4% in 2016 to 7.1% this year. For 6th graders, reported use dipped from 3.6% to 2.8% over the same period.
- Vaping & E-Cigarettes: Overall past-month vaping among grades 7 through 12 fell to 5.3%, down from 13.3% in 2016. The decline is particularly steep among high school seniors: at the peak of the youth vaping trend in 2018, nearly 30% of Indiana seniors reported vaping, compared to just 8% this year.
- Marijuana & Cigarettes: Traditional cigarette smoking and cannabis use both recorded notable multi-year declines across nearly all surveyed grade levels.
Indiana Youth Substance Trends at a Glance
| Category / Metric | Peak / Past Benchmark | Current Rate | Key Trend |
| Alcohol (Grades 7–12) | 19.4% (2016) | 7.1% | Lowest rate in over a decade |
| Vaping (Grades 7–12) | 13.3% (2016) | 5.3% | Down by more than half |
| H.S. Senior Vaping | ~30.0% (2018) | 8.0% | Down 22 percentage points from peak |
| Alcohol (Grade 6) | 3.6% (2016) | 2.8% | Modest steady decline |
Christina Cesnik of the American Heart Association commended the survey results but emphasized that state prevention infrastructure needs stronger financial backing. Cesnik advocated for stricter controls on how flavored tobacco products are sold and called on state lawmakers to double Indiana’s current $7.5 million allocation for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
Public health advocates also expressed concern over recent state budget decisions. Last year, the Indiana General Assembly reduced funding for Health First Indiana, a state public health initiative that provided county health departments with dedicated funding for smoking cessation and community health outreach.
Quitting Resources
Hoosiers looking for free support to quit smoking, vaping, or using tobacco products can contact the Indiana Tobacco Quitline:
- Phone: 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669)
- Online Resources: smokefree.gov or quitnowindiana.com
