Historical Trends in Cannabis Use among U.S. Adults Aged 19-55, 2013-2021.

OBJECTIVE: The current study used U.S. national data to examine trends in cannabis use from 2013-2021, focusing on changes in cannabis prevalence during young and middle adulthood, and whether trends differed by sociodemographic characteristics. METHOD: Data from 2013-2021 from 21,133 respondents aged 19-30 and 29,898 aged 35-55 in the national Monitoring the Future panel study (followed since they were in 12th grade in 1976-2020) were used to model historical trends in cannabis prevalence (any 12-month use, any 30-day use, and near-daily use [20+ occasions in the past 30 days]). RESULTS: Prevalence of 12-month, 30-day, and near-daily cannabis use significantly increased from 2013-2021 for both young and middle adults. Trends for all three behaviors indicated either consistent linear increases or two-slope increases where the slope estimate was larger in more recent years. Historical increases in 12-month and 30-day use were similar for young and middle adulthood; the historical increase in near-daily use among middle adults had some evidence for a possible pandemic-related deviation. Historical trends did not differ by race/ethnicity or college degree. Trends for 12-month and 30-day use differed by sex, with females increasing more than males over time, especially during middle adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Significant increases in the prevalence of cannabis use have occurred over the past decade for young and middle adults across sociodemographic groups, with some indication that near-daily use increased among middle adults at the onset of the pandemic. Although males continue to have higher prevalence than females, the gap has narrowed with greater increases in cannabis use among women.

Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms Reported during Midlife: Results from the Monitoring the Future Study among US Adults at Modal Ages 50, 55, and 60.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which adolescent substance use is associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms in midlife is not yet fully explored. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the national Monitoring the Future study was used. The sample included 11,830 12th graders (1976-1987) who were surveyed again at modal ages 50 (37.8%), 55 (46.3%), or 60 (15.8%) in 2008-2019. Approximately 48.7% were male; 81.5% identified as non-Hispanic White. Weighted logistic and multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine associations between past 30-day use of cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol at age 18, sociodemographics, and a midlife AUD symptom outcome (coded as non-drinking, drinking without AUD [endorsed ≤1 criterion], or AUD symptoms [endorsed 2+ criteria]). RESULTS: Prevalence of midlife AUD symptoms was 27.1%. Higher relative risk of reporting AUD symptoms (vs. drinking without AUD) was associated with age 18 substance use (any cigarette use [vs. no use], any marijuana use [vs. no use], binge drinking [vs. both no use and drinking at less than binge levels]), being male (vs. female), being non-Hispanic White (vs. non-Hispanic Black), and having a 4-year college degree. Higher relative risk of reporting non-drinking (vs. drinking without AUD) was associated with no 30-day alcohol use at age 18, being non-Hispanic Black or non-Hispanic other (vs. non-Hispanic White), and not having a 4-year college degree. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest substance use at age 18 has meaningful associations with midlife AUD symptoms. Dissemination of prevention and intervention efforts in adolescence and early adulthood may be important for reducing hazardous midlife drinking.

Comparison of a web-push vs. mailed survey protocol in the Monitoring the Future panel study among adults ages 35 to 60.

Introduction: Updating the mode of data collection may affect response rates or survey results. The ongoing, national Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel study has traditionally used mailed paper surveys. In 2018, MTF experimented with a web-push data collection design for young adults ages 19-30, concluding that the web-push design improved response rates and did not change substance use estimates after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics (Patrick et al., 2021). The current study sought to replicate the web-push experiment with MTF adults ages 35 to 60 in 2020. Methods: In 2020, the MTF panel study included an experiment to test a web-push protocol for respondents ages 35 to 60 (N = 14,379). Participants were randomized to the web-push (i.e., a web survey invitation, with paper surveys available for non-respondents) or traditional MTF (i.e., mailed paper surveys) data collection condition. Results: Results indicated no significant difference in overall response rate for the web-push vs. standard MTF conditions in this age group. Differences in reported estimates of past 30-day substance use prevalence by condition were not significant after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. In multivariable models, participants in the web-push condition were less likely to respond via web (than paper) if they were Black, smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days, were unmarried, or did not have a college degree. Conclusions: Overall, the move to the web-push design had minimal impact on response rates and substance use prevalence estimates for this age group. However, in the web-push condition, sociodemographic differences were associated with mode of response.

Characteristics and reasons for use associated with solitary alcohol and marijuana use among U.S. 12th Grade Students, 2015-2021.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding what sociodemographic characteristics and reasons for use are associated with adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use. METHODS: Data from 7845 12th grade students participating in the nationally-representative Monitoring the Future study from 2015 to 2021 were used to examine cross-sectional associations between sociodemographics, heavy drinking/marijuana use, reasons for use, and past 12-month solitary alcohol or marijuana use among past 12-month users. Historical trends and possible differences related to the COVID-19 pandemic also were examined. RESULTS: Solitary use prevalence increased from 2015 to 2021 with no evidence of significant COVID-19 deviations. In 2021, solitary alcohol use was reported by 32.1% (SE 3.01) and solitary marijuana use by 55.8% (4.72) of those reporting past 12-month use. Common and substance-specific sociodemographic risk factors were observed. Binge drinking was associated with solitary alcohol use; frequent marijuana use was associated with solitary marijuana use. Reasons for use related to coping with negative affect were associated with solitary use. Compulsive use reasons were more strongly associated with solitary alcohol than marijuana use. Drinking to have a good time with friends was negatively associated with solitary alcohol use but this association was not seen for solitary marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of adolescents who use alcohol or marijuana when they were alone has increased among those who report using each substance. Associations between solitary use and (a) higher levels of consumption and (b) coping with negative affect highlight the importance of solitary use as a risk indicator.