A surprising (and hopeful!) finding about teenage drug and alcohol use during the pandemic

A new survey suggests use by American adolescents plunged in 2021 - contrary to the increase in overdose deaths.

Eighth graders and high school students reported far lower levels of drug use in 2021 than previous years, a new national survey finds.

Alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine use all declined sharply, even as most schools remained closed and other measures of mental health declined. So did the use of harder drugs such as cocaine and LSD.

In perhaps the most surp…