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Digest of Education Statistics: 2018
Digest of Education Statistics: 2018

NCES 2020-009
December 2019


Table 232.65. Percentages of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders reporting use and availability of heroin and narcotics other than heroin, by grade and recency of use: Selected years, 1995 through 2017
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Grade and recency of use 1995 2000 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
8th-graders                                                      
Ever used                                                      
Heroin1 2.3 (0.16) 1.9 (0.15) 1.5 (0.13) 1.3 (0.13) 1.2 (0.12) 0.8   (0.10) 1.0 (0.12) 0.9   (0.11) 0.5   (0.08) 0.5   (0.08) 0.7   (0.10)
With a needle 1.5 (0.13) 1.1 (0.11) 1.0 (0.11) 0.9 (0.11) 0.8 (0.10) 0.6   (0.09) 0.6 (0.09) 0.8   (0.10) 0.3   (0.06) 0.3   (0.06) 0.4   (0.07)
Without a needle 1.5 (0.13) 1.3 (0.12) 0.9 (0.10) 0.7 (0.10) 0.7 (0.09) 0.5   (0.08) 0.5 (0.08) 0.4   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.4   (0.07) 0.5   (0.08)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2
(†) (†) (†) (†) (†)   (†) (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                       
Used during past 12 months                                                      
Heroin1 1.4 (0.11) 1.1 (0.10) 0.8 (0.08) 0.8 (0.09) 0.7 (0.08) 0.5   (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.3   (0.05) 0.3   (0.05)
With a needle 0.9 (0.09) 0.6 (0.07) 0.6 (0.07) 0.6 (0.08) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4   (0.06) 0.3 (0.06) 0.4   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2   (0.04) 0.2   (0.04)
Without a needle 0.8 (0.08) 0.7 (0.08) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4 (0.06) 0.3   (0.05) 0.3 (0.06) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2   (0.04) 0.3   (0.05)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2,3
(†) (†) (†) (†) (†)   (†) (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
OxyContin2 (†) (†) 1.8 (0.17) 2.1 (0.19) 1.8 (0.17) 1.6   (0.16) 2.0 (0.19) 1.0   (0.13) 0.8   (0.12) 0.9   (0.12) 0.8   (0.12)
Vicodin2 (†) (†) 2.6 (0.25) 2.7 (0.26) 2.1 (0.23) 1.3   (0.18) 1.4 (0.19) 1.0   (0.16) 0.9   (0.16) 0.8   (0.14) 0.7   (0.13)
                                                       
Used during past 30 days                                                      
Heroin1 0.6 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4 (0.06) 0.4 (0.06) 0.2   (0.04) 0.3 (0.06) 0.3   (0.06) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.2   (0.04) 0.2   (0.04)
With a needle 0.4 (0.06) 0.3 (0.05) 0.3 (0.05) 0.3 (0.05) 0.2 (0.04) 0.2   (0.04) 0.2 (0.05) 0.2   (0.05) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.1   (0.03) 0.2   (0.04)
Without a needle 0.3 (0.05) 0.3 (0.05) 0.2 (0.04) 0.2 (0.04) 0.2 (0.04) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.2 (0.05) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.1   (0.03) 0.2   (0.04)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2
(†) (†) (†) (†) (†)   (†) (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                       
Fairly easy or very easy to get                                                      
Heroin 21.1 (0.63) 16.5 (0.58) 13.2 (0.52) 11.6 (0.51) 9.9 (0.47) 9.4   (0.47) 10.0 (0.49) 8.6   (0.47) 7.8   (0.44) 8.9   (0.44) 8.1   (0.44)
Narcotics other than
    heroin
20.3 (0.54) 15.6 (0.49) 12.9 (0.45) 14.6 (0.49) 12.3 (0.45) 10.6   (0.43) 9.7 (0.42) 9.2   (0.42) 8.8   (0.41) 8.9   (0.38) 8.9   (0.40)
                                                       
10th-graders                                                      
Ever used                                                      
Heroin1 1.7 (0.14) 2.2 (0.17) 1.5 (0.14) 1.3 (0.13) 1.2 (0.13) 1.1   (0.12) 1.0 (0.12) 0.9   (0.12) 0.7   (0.09) 0.6   (0.09) 0.4   (0.08)
With a needle 1.0 (0.11) 1.0 (0.12) 0.8 (0.10) 0.8 (0.10) 0.8 (0.10) 0.7   (0.10) 0.7 (0.10) 0.6   (0.10) 0.5   (0.08) 0.5   (0.08) 0.3   (0.07)
Without a needle 1.1 (0.11) 1.7 (0.15) 1.1 (0.12) 0.9 (0.11) 0.8 (0.10) 0.8   (0.10) 0.7 (0.10) 0.5   (0.09) 0.4   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.3   (0.07)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2
(†) (†) (†) (†) (†)   (†) (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                       
Used during past 12 months                                                      
Heroin1 1.1 (0.10) 1.4 (0.12) 0.9 (0.09) 0.8 (0.09) 0.8 (0.09) 0.6   (0.08) 0.6 (0.08) 0.5   (0.08) 0.5   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05)
With a needle 0.6 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4   (0.06) 0.5 (0.08) 0.4   (0.07) 0.2   (0.04) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05)
Without a needle 0.8 (0.08) 1.1 (0.11) 0.7 (0.08) 0.6 (0.08) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4   (0.06) 0.4 (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.3   (0.05) 0.2   (0.05) 0.1 ! (0.03)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2,3
(†) (†) (†) (†) (†)   (†) (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
OxyContin2 (†) (†) 3.2 (0.22) 4.6 (0.27) 3.9 (0.26) 3.0   (0.22) 3.4 (0.26) 3.0   (0.24) 2.6   (0.21) 2.1   (0.19) 2.2   (0.20)
Vicodin2 (†) (†) 5.9 (0.37) 7.7 (0.43) 5.9 (0.39) 4.4   (0.33) 4.6 (0.37) 3.4   (0.32) 2.5   (0.25) 1.7   (0.21) 1.5   (0.21)
                                                       
Used during past 30 days                                                      
Heroin1 0.6 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4 (0.06) 0.4 (0.06) 0.4   (0.06) 0.3 (0.06) 0.4   (0.07) 0.2   (0.04) 0.2   (0.05) 0.1 ! (0.03)
With a needle 0.3 (0.05) 0.3 (0.06) 0.3 (0.05) 0.2 (0.04) 0.2 (0.04) 0.2   (0.04) 0.2 (0.05) 0.3   (0.06) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.2   (0.05) 0.1 ! (0.03)
Without a needle 0.3 (0.05) 0.4 (0.06) 0.3 (0.05) 0.3 (0.05) 0.2 (0.04) 0.2   (0.04) 0.2 (0.05) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2   (0.04) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.1 ! (0.03)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2
(†) (†) (†) (†) (†)   (†) (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                       
Fairly easy or very easy to get                                                      
Heroin 24.6 (0.77) 22.3 (0.81) 19.3 (0.72) 14.5 (0.66) 13.2 (0.64) 11.9   (0.61) 11.9 (0.66) 10.9   (0.63) 11.0   (0.58) 10.6   (0.59) 10.6   (0.62)
Narcotics other than
    heroin
27.8 (0.73) 27.2 (0.79) 23.6 (0.70) 28.7 (0.77) 25.0 (0.75) 24.3   (0.74) 22.5 (0.77) 18.8   (0.72) 19.2   (0.66) 16.8   (0.65) 17.7   (0.70)
                                                       
12th-graders                                                      
Ever used                                                      
Heroin1 1.6 (0.14) 2.4 (0.19) 1.5 (0.14) 1.6 (0.15) 1.4 (0.14) 1.1   (0.13) 1.0 (0.13) 1.0   (0.13) 0.8   (0.11) 0.7   (0.11) 0.7   (0.11)
With a needle 0.7 (0.10) 0.8 (0.11) 0.9 (0.11) 1.1 (0.12) 0.9 (0.11) 0.7   (0.10) 0.7 (0.11) 0.8   (0.11) 0.6   (0.10) 0.5   (0.09) 0.4   (0.08)
Without a needle 1.4 (0.13) 2.4 (0.19) 1.3 (0.13) 1.4 (0.14) 1.3 (0.13) 0.8   (0.11) 0.9 (0.12) 0.7   (0.11) 0.7   (0.10) 0.6   (0.10) 0.4   (0.08)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2
7.2 (0.35) 10.6 (0.46) 12.8 (0.47) 13.0 (0.48) 13.0 (0.48) 12.2   (0.48) 11.1 (0.48) 9.5   (0.45) 8.4   (0.42) 7.8   (0.42) 6.8   (0.38)
                                                       
Used during past 12 months                                                      
Heroin1 1.1 (0.10) 1.5 (0.13) 0.8 (0.09) 0.9 (0.10) 0.8 (0.09) 0.6   (0.08) 0.6 (0.08) 0.6   (0.08) 0.5   (0.08) 0.3   (0.06) 0.4   (0.07)
With a needle 0.5 (0.07) 0.4 (0.07) 0.5 (0.07) 0.7 (0.09) 0.6 (0.08) 0.4   (0.07) 0.4 (0.07) 0.5   (0.08) 0.3   (0.06) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05)
Without a needle 1.0 (0.10) 1.6 (0.14) 0.8 (0.09) 0.8 (0.09) 0.7 (0.09) 0.4   (0.07) 0.4 (0.07) 0.5   (0.08) 0.4   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2,3
4.7 (0.27) 7.0 (0.36) 9.0 (0.38) 8.7 (0.38) 8.7 (0.38) 7.9   (0.37) 7.1 (0.37) 6.1   (0.35) 5.4   (0.32) 4.8   (0.32) 4.2   (0.29)
OxyContin2 (†) (†) 5.5 (0.30) 5.1 (0.30) 4.9 (0.29) 4.3   (0.28) 3.6 (0.27) 3.3   (0.26) 3.7   (0.27) 3.4   (0.27) 2.7   (0.23)
Vicodin2 (†) (†) 9.5 (0.48) 8.0 (0.45) 8.1 (0.46) 7.5   (0.45) 5.3 (0.40) 4.8   (0.38) 4.4   (0.36) 2.9   (0.31) 2.0   (0.25)
                                                       
Used during past 30 days                                                      
Heroin1 0.6 (0.08) 0.7 (0.09) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4 (0.06) 0.4 (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.3 (0.06) 0.4   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05) 0.3   (0.06)
With a needle 0.3 (0.05) 0.2 (0.05) 0.3 (0.06) 0.4 (0.06) 0.4 (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2 (0.05) 0.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2   (0.05)
Without a needle 0.6 (0.08) 0.7 (0.09) 0.5 (0.07) 0.4 (0.06) 0.4 (0.07) 0.2   (0.05) 0.2 (0.05) 0.4   (0.07) 0.3   (0.06) 0.1 ! (0.04) 0.2   (0.05)
Narcotics other than
    heroin2
1.8 (0.14) 2.9 (0.19) 3.9 (0.21) 3.6 (0.20) 3.6 (0.20) 3.0   (0.19) 2.8 (0.19) 2.2   (0.17) 2.1   (0.16) 1.7   (0.16) 1.6   (0.15)
                                                       
Fairly easy or very easy to get                                                      
Heroin 35.1 (1.46) 33.5 (1.60) 27.3 (1.48) 24.1 (1.35) 20.8 (1.30) 19.9   (1.30) 22.1 (1.41) 20.2   (1.37) 20.4   (1.34) 20.0   (1.40) 19.1   (1.40)
Narcotics other than
    heroin
39.8 (1.65) 43.9 (1.85) 39.2 (1.79) 54.2 (1.73) 50.7 (1.76) 50.4   (1.78) 46.5 (1.86) 42.2   (1.85) 39.0   (1.78) 39.3   (1.88) 35.8   (1.88)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 In the total for heroin use, students who reported using heroin both with a needle and without a needle were counted only once.
2 Only drug use not under a doctor's orders is included.
3 In addition to OxyContin and Vicodin, includes other types of narcotics not shown separately.
NOTE: Standard errors were calculated from formulas to perform trend analysis over an interval greater than 1 year (for example, a comparison between 1995 and 2000).
SOURCE: University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future, selected years, 1995 through 2017, retrieved July 3, 2018, from http://monitoringthefuture.org/data/data.html. (This table was prepared July 2018.)