New report takes a look at drug use among teens

A new government report has answers on teenage drug use and takes a deep look at what teens are inhaling, popping and smoking.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has released its annual survey of more than 43,000 eighth, 10th and 12th-graders from across the United States.

The report also found the use of electronic vaporizers is on the rise, with nearly a third of high school seniors reporting having used one this past year.

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"They're vaping nicotine, they're vaping marijuana and they're sometimes vaping just flavorings that they don't think has anything but the flavors in them," Wilson Compton, MD with National Institute on Drug Abuse, said.

According to the report, regular cigarettes have largely fallen out of favor, used by just over 4% of 12th-graders.

Marijuana is more popular, with nearly 6% of high school seniors smoking marijuana, the report found.

According to the report, it's a concern because the substance has grown in potency in recent decades.

"We also see marijuana used in new forms.  Things like waxes and oils, extracts of marijuana that can be up to 90% pure," Compton said.

The report found teenagers are less likely to take pills and that opioid abuse has fallen in popularity as well, with recreational use of painkillers like Vicodin and Oxycontin at all-time lows.

Cox Media Group