College student substance use in the United States draws significant levels of concern among university and public health officials due to high prevalence rates and the harmful consequences that the practice(s) may incur. Alcohol consumption is the most salient form of substance use in university environments, causing a litany of problems related to hospitalizations, premature deaths, decreased academic performance, public safety issues, and deteriorations in almost all measures of wellbeing. Cannabis use has increased across almost all demographics in the United States including college students. While the health effects of cannabis are not as well-defined as that of alcohol, emerging research has associated cannabis use with increased risk of respiratory injury, depression, and psychosis in predisposed individuals. There is a dearth in research concerning hallucinogen use in general, but relative use prevalence is thought to be highest in young adults. This report describes recent trends in alcohol, cannabis, and hallucinogen use among college students in the United States.
This report was prepared by the University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” publication analyzing nationwide drug use over the past 45 years. The current installation of the report found college student cannabis use to have increased significantly from 2015 to 2020, and hallucinogen use similarly increased from 2019 to 2020. Total alcohol consumption and binge drinking decreased in college students during the 2019-2020 time period, and researchers were quick to allude to the COVID-19 pandemic in providing explanations of the trend. These alterations in drinking patterns were not observed among other non-college student populations. A possible reason purported for increased cannabis use, according to survey data was low perception of harm. Hallucinogen use trends were thought to be driven by emerging science which suggests this class of compounds may assist in treating a variety mental health diagnoses like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders.
Takeaway: substance use in college students has changed in numerous fashions in the past decade. Harmful forms of drinking have drinking have fortunately decreased, but increased prevalence of cannabis and hallucinogen use may elicit concerns due to their underdeveloped research profiles.