The use of cigarettes by American teenagers decreased between the years 2000 and 2001, according to the annual Monitoring the Future Survey released in December by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This decline, observed for 8th and 10th graders, continues a decreasing trend begun around 1996. Decreases have also been found for high school seniors in recent years. These reductions in teenage smoking come on the heels of increases from the early- to mid-1990s and are excellent news in the nation's battle to reduce the toll exacted by this leading cause of preventable death and disease.

The survey also found that the rise in use of MDMA (ecstasy) in teenagers seen over the past 2-3 years slowed from 2000 to 2001 among students in grades 8, 10, and 12. In addition, rates of heroin use decreased notably among 10th and 12th graders, and a gradual decline in use of inhalants continued in 2001, with a significant decrease occurring among 12th graders.