12 Year Olds More Likely to Use Inhalants Than Cigarettes or Marijuana

According to combined data from the 2006 to 2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs), 6.9 percent of 12 year olds have used an inhalant to get high or to make them feel good. This exceeds the rate of use of cigarettes, marijuana, hallucinogens, and cocaine, as well as the rate of nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Only alcohol had a higher rate of use. This same pattern was found among both girls and boys.

Inhalants are legal, everyday products—such as spray paints, glue, and gasoline—the vapors of which can be inhaled intentionally to get high. When used as intended, these products are harmless; however, when they are used as inhalants, they can be dangerous and even deadly.

Lifetime Use of Inhalants and Other Substances among 12 Year Olds: 2006 to 2008

Lifetime Use of Inhalants and Other Substances among 12 Year Olds: 2006 to 2008
Substance	Percent
Inhalants	6.9%
Nonmedical Use of Prescription Type Drugs*	5.1%
Marijuana	1.4%
Hallucinogens	0.7%
Cocaine	0.1%
Cigarettes	5.2%
Alcohol	9.8%

* Nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs includes the nonmedical use of pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants (including methamphetamine), or sedatives and does not include over-the-counter drugs. Estimates in this table do not include data from new methamphetamine items added to the questionnaire in 2005 and 2006.

Source: The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their places of residence.

The OAS Data Spotlight may be copied without permission. Citation of the source is appreciated. Find this report and those on similar topics online at http://oas.samhsa.gov.

This page was last updated on March 2, 2010.