Teen Ecstasy Use Cut by 25 Percent from Peak as Trend Reverses; Three-Quarters of a Million Fewer Teens Using “Love Drug”

NEW YORK, Feb. 25 – Teen drug use continues declining in America, and use of Ecstasy (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA) is down by 25 percent in two years, according to new national data released today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

"Teenagers are internalizing the message about the risks of Ecstasy, the popularity of this drug is abating and, as a result, there are 770,000 fewer teens using Ecstasy since its peak in 2001,” said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of the Partnership. "The Ecstasy threat, however, remains: In 2003, two million teenagers in America reported trying this drug at least once in their lives. We can – and we must – kick Ecstasy while it’s down, and kick it down further.” 

Between 1999 and 2001, while use of most drugs by teenagers remained stable or trended downward, Ecstasy use surged.¹ Responding to the increase, the Partnership launched the first comprehensive education campaign targeting Ecstasy – a synthetic, psychoactive drug with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties. After two years and at least $30 million in media exposure, tracking data suggest the effort has impacted teen attitudes and behavior. Data released today report Ecstasy use significantly lower among teenagers frequently exposed to anti-drug advertising, and anti-drug attitudes stronger among these teens.² (Authors of another survey on adolescent substance abuse, released in December, also report declines in Ecstasy use and comment about anti-drug media campaigns.³ )

Released today in New York, the 2003 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) reports significant declines in teens using marijuana, Ecstasy, LSD and methamphetamine, as well⁶ as noteworthy declines in the number of teenagers using alcohol and smoking cigarettes¹. The data indicate substantial improvements in drug-related attitudes among teens, which are driving consumption downward. The 2003 data contribute to an overall five-year decline in teen drug use.

The study, conducted for the Partnership by RoperASW, under grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, interviewed 7,270 adolescents nationwide. Data are nationally projectable with a +/- 1.5 percent margin of error. 

"In addition to the remarkable turnaround on Ecstasy, the overall trend is quite encouraging," Pasierb said. The data indicate illegal drug usage among teens has declined from 51 percent in 1998 to 46 percent in 2003. Had this decline not occurred, 1.2 million more teens would be using drugs than is currently the case.⁵ "Kids are clearly accepting, on their own terms, information about the risks of a variety of drugs," he said. "More and more teens are deciding not to use drugs. Clearly, more young people believe that the risks outweigh the benefits.”

Education Efforts Contributing to Positive Trend

According to the study, the percentage of teens reporting seeing or hearing anti-drug ads over the past five years has increased by 63 percent (from 32 percent in 1998 to 52 percent in 2003). More teens appear to be internalizing the information anti-drug ads have to offer. The number of teens reporting having “learned a lot” about the risks of drugs from anti-drug ads has increased 65 percent -- from one in five teens (20 percent) in 1998 to one in three (33 percent) last year.

Importantly, the data suggest media-based education efforts are influencing teen attitudes and behavior. Teens frequently exposed to anti-drug ads are more likely to see risks in specific drugs (see table), and teens exposed frequently to these messages are significantly less likely to use certain drugs, according to the data. The data report substantial increases in teens who see risks associated with marijuana and Ecstasy – drugs targeted by highly visible media campaigns over the past few years. Attitudes influence drug-related behavior: As more teens come to view drug use as risky, fewer choose to use drugs.

Perceptions of Risk Higher Among Teens Frequently Exposed to Anti-Drug Advertising

% of teen seeing “great risk in”	Saw/Heard Anti-drug Ads Infrequently	Saw/Heard Anti-drug Ads Frequently
Using marijuana regularly	56	63*
Trying Ecstasy	44	50*
Trying Ecstasy	72	81*

* Significant difference at the .05 level

The marijuana attitudinal data suggest that the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is contributing to the turnaround. Coordinated through the Office of National Drug Control Policy, this federally funded media campaign has focused intensely on delivering hard-hitting messages about marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug in America. Last year, the campaign placed more than $130 million in advertising messages in paid media exposure throughout the country. “Changes in teen attitudes about marijuana have not occurred accidentally,” Pasierb said. “Data from our survey – and others as well – show strong correlations between exposure to tough messages about marijuana and changes in attitudes. The attitudinal data suggest these educational campaigns are contributing to declines in marijuana use.” (Through volunteer advertising agencies, the Partnership has developed and donated most of the advertising used in this federally funded effort.)



Areas of Concern
Researchers pointed to three areas of concern, per the study: 1) Inhalant abuse: Fewer kids are seeing risk in using inhalants to get high, and the data report an up-tick in inhalant abuse. Erosion in key risk attitudes suggest more increases are possible. 2) Misuse of prescription drugs: Some 21 percent of teenagers – 1 in every 5 – report using a prescription drug without a doctor’s order.⁷ And 3) Parent-child communication at home: Only one in three teenagers (32 percent) report learning a lot about the risks of drugs at home.

The Partnership’s campaign targeting Ecstasy continues, and recently received a significant boost from Comcast, the nation’s largest cable television provider. Comcast has committed $50 million over three years to air Partnership anti-drug ads on its cable systems nationwide, but much more is needed. “While we’re pleased with the remarkable decrease in Ecstasy use, new drug threats emerge regularly,” Pasierb said. “We must stay focused on the continual need to educate new generations of kids about the risks of drugs, while finding new ways to engage parents in educating teens about drugs thoroughly and convincingly.”

The full Partnership Attitude Tracking Study is available on the Web at www.drugfreeamerica.org. The Partnership encourages parents to call 1-866-XTC-FACTS for a free brochure on the risks of Ecstasy available in English and Spanish.

Research shows that anti-drug campaigns are working. Together we continue to keep drug use down among teens. Please support us by making a tax-deductible donation today.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America® is a private, non-profit coalition of professionals from the communications industry. Best known for its national, drug-education advertising campaign, the Partnership exists to help kids and teens reject substance abuse by influencing attitudes through persuasive information. The Partnership’s State/City Alliance Program supports the Partnership’s mission at the local level. The Partnership receives major funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and financial support from more than 200 private sector corporations. The Partnership accepts no money from alcohol or tobacco manufacturers. All actors in the Partnership’s ads appear pro bono through the generosity of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.



¹Between 1999 and 2001, teen Ecstasy use increased 71 percent (from seven percent in 1999 to 10 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2001).
²7.9 percent vs. 12.7 percent, teen use of Ecstasy among those exposed frequently vs. infrequently to ads.
³Monitoring the Future study, conducted by researchers at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan under grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. (See monitoringthefuture.org for December 2003 press release.)
⁴All measures of drug use are “trial,” “lifetime” and/or “experimentation”, unless otherwise noted. These measures capture use of a certain drug at least once in a lifetime. Alcohol, past year and past month. Cigarettes, past month.
⁵If 1998 rates of teen drug use had remained, 12 million teenagers would have tried drugs in 2003. Instead, 10.8 million reported doing so.
⁶Monitoring the Future study, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research ⁷Since few questions about prescription drugs have been included in PATS, a dedicated study is being commissioned to better understand teen attitudes and usage in this area. Data from this study will be released in late 2004.