Fewer US Teens Beginning Substance Use Before Their Sixteenth Birthday, Research Suggests

HealthDay (3/2, Reinberg) reports fewer US teens are beginning drug and alcohol use “before their 16th birthday, a new study finds.” After examining data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2004 to 2017, investigators “found that between 2004 and 2017, the age at which teens started drinking alcohol and smoking rose from 16 to 17 years.” At the same time, “the age for trying heroin went from 17 to 18, and for cocaine it increased from 18 to 19 years.” The findings were published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “U.S. Kids Waiting a Little Longer to Try Alcohol, Drugs, “Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, March 2, 2020

Posted in In The News.