In this April 10, 2018, file photo, a high school principal displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in such places as restrooms or hallways at the school in Massachusetts. (Associated Press/Steven Senne)
Arizona youth are vaping and drinking less as well has having an increased awareness of fentanyl, according to a new annual report released by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission.
The survey was taken by more than 41,000 students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades across 264 schools in all 15 Arizona counties.
“Schools are invited to participate in the study, so it’s completely voluntary,” said Allyson Horgan, statistical analysis center director at AZCJC. “So, we have 264 schools volunteered to participate."
The online survey focuses on the use of vapes, tobacco products, alcohol and drugs. It’s voluntary among students, Horgan said.
“Obviously, kids can decide whether or not they want to participate,” she said. “It’s done online, so it just takes one period for them to complete. They go through the questions and can answer questions that they want. You can see questions that they don’t want to answer and that’s pretty much it.”
The report showed a decline of reported substance use among Arizona youth. Alcohol use was at 22.8%, down from 27.1% in 2024, while e-cigarette use was at 13.3%, down from 15.3%. Marijuana use was at 10.7%, down from 15.2%. And the use across all three substances showed more female use than males.
“For so long, we had seen males using at higher rates, and in the last few years we had seen females start to use at higher rates,” Horgan said.
“I presented at a fentanyl awareness group a few months ago, and I had a clinician confirm that, so that’s what he’s seeing in the field as well, and it was shocking to him, too,” Horgan added. “He had seen that in his practice in years earlier, so I think just the fact that’s what we’re seeing, and that is so abnormal from what we have seen historically.”
Bradley Bartos, an assistant professor in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona, backed up Horgan on the higher use by females.
“The proportion of young men and women that were reporting use ever, and in the last 30 days for many years was documented as converging on one another,” Bartos said. “It appears at least since 2020 the young women have been leading the pack. They have had a small margin of higher use across all substances, including poly drug use, which is kind of a strong indicator of the kind of risk.”
Fentanyl awareness is also on the rise, with 41% of students saying they have discussed the dangers of fentanyl with a parent or guardian over the past year, which is up from 34.1% in 2024.
“I think obviously we would love every student to understand the dangers of fentanyl and avoid it,” Horgan said. “When we first introduced that question in 2022, the results were extremely low. But then in 2024, even in just those two years with the campaigns that we saw from our coalitions and from our state campaigns to increase fentanyl awareness, it was just incredible to see the rise in general awareness, so I think even seeing more awareness the increase this year.
"The fact that we can still see that, and we’re not seeing ceiling effects with that is incredible,” Horgan added.
Bartos corroborated what Horgan said concerning discussion of fentanyl.
“I would say I am surprised,” Bartos said, “I’m a millennial, so I’m not exactly privy to the cultural shifts and openness between kids and their parents.
“But I do think that that’s a very reasonable trend to gleam from this,” Bartos added. “I don’t see a reason why young people would be overestimating whether they’ve talked to their parents or peers about these various issues.”
Horgan said use of fentanyl was at 1.8% combined for the three grades, with only 0.2% of those who used had used 30 days prior to taking the test.
“There are still a half a percent of young people in this state who have reported using methamphetamines or heroin, or synthetic drugs, and you know, three to five percent of the state has young people have reported poly drug use, so there’s still some segment of young persons in Arizona consuming substances,” Bartos said. “I think everyone should be proud that there are fewer people across the board, registering some level of use, even extreme use.
“But the fact that there is any percent of young persons in this state using heroin or methamphetamine is of course worthy of additional continued attention,” Bartos added.
Horgan also said the survey was offered to seventh-graders in schools where the eighth grade is part of a middle school.
Horgan said the results they see among the upper grades is similar to what they see in the seventh graders.
“So, now we have this younger data set that we can that we can look at,” Horgan said. “We’re seeing pretty similar trends in alcohol, e-cigarettes and marijuana. So, I think in terms of the trends and the data itself is pretty similar to what we’re seeing with the older crowd.
“One thing that I would point out, is we ask kids to report the reasons why they use drugs and alcohol, and for older kids, usually their top reason is something along the lines of to get high or to have fun,” Horgan added. “The top three reasons for seventh graders that they reported for using drugs and alcohol was to deal with school stress, to deal with family stress, and to deal with stress from peers. So, our seventh graders are reporting that they’re turning to substance is for stress, not the fun, not for experimentation, but for those reasons. So I think that’s kind of the thing that struck me.”
Bartos said Arizona high schoolers can be really proud of the decline in all uses.
“We can really be encouraged by the pattern of reduction from the last month to the lifetime use of both, and in particular e-cigarettes, marijuana, marijuana concentrates and alcohol, which are the most frequently used substances among people,” Bartos said. “Whether a hard-fought, daily communicated win for parents over the last six years or a young person, emerging recognition of the environment as it became clear to them over those six years.
I’m not putting the causal attribution on either side,” Bartos added. “Young people deserve to feel proud of this, and they don’t have to give their parents credit if they don’t want to, and the parents don’t have to give the young kids credit for this. If you want to feel good about it, you can.”
Meet Jeff Jeff Wendt started at Independent Newsmedia in January 2023, after 25 years working for Gannett and The Arizona Republic. Started as a high school sports scoretaker, worked up to reporting high school sports and then became an associate high school sports editor in 2002. Also worked in the Design Studio as a copy editor.
Community: Jeff serves on the Board of Elders at his local church.
Education: Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication
Random fact: Attended Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.
Hobbies: Playing video games (yes still the kid in me), watching reality TV, playing poker.
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