In 2007, 9.5 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 were current illicit drug users: Rates of current use remained stable from 2006 to 2007 among youths aged 12 to 17 for all drugs except use of heroin, which decreased from 0.06 to 0.01 percent, and nonmedical use of tranquilizers, which increased from 0.5 to 0.7 percent.
 

Among youths aged 12 to 17, the types of drugs used in the past month varied by age group. Among 12 or 13 year olds, 1.4 percent used prescription-type drugs nonmedical, 1.1 percent used inhalants, and 0.9 percent used marijuana. Among 14 or 15 year olds, marijuana was the most commonly used drug (5.7 percent), followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedical (3.4 percent), and then inhalants (1.4 percent). Marijuana also was the most commonly used drug among 16 or 17 year olds (13.1 percent), followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedical (4.9 percent), and then hallucinogens (1.2 percent), inhalants (1.0 percent), and cocaine (0.9 percent).

The rate of current marijuana use among youths aged 12 to 17 decreased from 8.2 percent in 2002 to 6.7 percent in 2007. Significant declines were also evident between 2002 and 2007 for past year marijuana use (from 15.8 to 12.5 percent) and lifetime marijuana use (from 20.6 to 16.2 percent).

Rates of current use of illicit drugs in 2007 were higher for young adults aged 18 to 25 (19.7 percent) than for youths aged 12 to 17 (9.5 percent) and adults aged 26 or older (5.8 percent). Among young adults, 16.4 percent used marijuana, 6.0 percent used prescription-type drugs nonmedically, 1.7 percent used cocaine, and 1.5 percent used hallucinogens