TABLE 4. Percentage of high school students who currently used marijuana or misused prescription opioids and percentage who strongly agreed or agreed that they used more drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic than before it started,* by selected characteristics — Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021.
| Characteristic | Current marijuana use† |
Current prescription opioid misuse§ |
Used more drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic¶,** |
|---|---|---|---|
| % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | % (95% CI) | |
|
Sex
| |||
| Female |
12.7 (10.2–15.6) |
5.4 (4.4–6.5) |
30.1 (25.8–34.7) |
| Male |
12.9 (11.2–14.8) |
3.2 (2.3–4.4) |
33.1 (29.7–36.7) |
|
Race and ethnicity
| |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic |
25.9 (15.7–39.7) |
6.2 (3.3–11.2) |
25.2 (11.1–47.6) |
| Asian, non-Hispanic |
4.2 (2.1–8.2) |
3.4 (2.2–5.2) |
17.9 (11.0–27.8) |
| Black, non-Hispanic |
13.6 (10.5–17.5) |
4.1 (2.9–5.8) |
31.6 (24.8–39.3) |
| Hispanic or Latino (all races) |
9.9 (7.3–13.4) |
4.6 (3.6–6.0) |
22.2 (17.9–27.2) |
| Multiracial, non-Hispanic |
19.8 (14.7–26.2) |
4.2 (2.6–6.9) |
36.5 (29.0–44.8) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic |
—†† |
— |
— |
| White, non-Hispanic |
14.0 (11.8–16.5) |
4.3 (3.2–5.7) |
36.6 (31.8–41.7) |
|
Grade
| |||
| 9 |
9.4 (7.0–12.7) |
5.3 (4.2–6.7) |
27.7 (22.2–33.9) |
| 10 |
10.5 (8.3–13.2) |
4.3 (3.2–5.7) |
29.7 (23.5–36.8) |
| 11 |
13.4 (11.3–15.9) |
4.0 (2.8–5.7) |
30.6 (26.1–35.5) |
| 12 |
18.4 (15.8–21.4) |
3.6 (2.6–4.9) |
36.5 (31.4–41.9) |
|
Sexual identity
| |||
| Heterosexual |
12.0 (10.3–13.8) |
3.8 (3.0–4.7) |
31.1 (27.4–35.0) |
| Gay, lesbian, or bisexual |
18.5 (14.7–22.9) |
6.9 (5.2–9.0) |
35.7 (28.9–43.0) |
| Other or questioning |
12.1 (9.1–15.8) |
5.5 (3.8–7.8) |
26.6 (19.0–35.9) |
|
Instructional model of school
| |||
| In-person only |
16.8 (8.4–30.8) |
7.3 (5.4–9.6) |
30.5 (21.3–41.4) |
| Virtual only |
9.0 (7.0–11.5) |
2.8 (1.9–4.1) |
24.5 (18.6–31.6) |
| Hybrid |
13.9 (11.9–16.2) |
4.7 (3.8–5.9) |
33.4 (30.0–37.0) |
| Total | 12.8 (11.1–14.7) | 4.3 (3.6–5.2) | 31.4 (28.3–34.7) |
* Weighted percentages. See Table 1 for variable definitions.
† Pairwise t-tests indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between the following subgroups of students: non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native versus non-Hispanic Asian and Hispanic; non-Hispanic Asian versus non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic multiracial, and non-Hispanic White; Hispanic versus non-Hispanic multiracial and non-Hispanic White; grade 9 versus grades 11 and 12; grade 10 versus grade 12; grade 11 versus grade 12; heterosexual versus gay, lesbian, or bisexual; gay, lesbian, or bisexual versus other or questioning; and virtual versus hybrid.
§ Pairwise t-tests indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between the following subgroups of students: female versus male; grade 9 versus grade 12; heterosexual versus gay, lesbian, or bisexual; in-person versus virtual and hybrid; and virtual versus hybrid.
¶ Among the 33.7% of students who ever used marijuana, synthetic marijuana, cocaine, or other illegal drugs or misused prescription opioids.
** Pairwise t-tests indicate significant differences (p<0.05) between the following subgroups of students: non-Hispanic Asian versus non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic multiracial, and non-Hispanic White; non-Hispanic Black versus Hispanic; Hispanic versus non-Hispanic multiracial and non-Hispanic White; grade 9 versus grade 12; and virtual versus hybrid.
†† Dashes indicate that results are suppressed because n<30.