Change in Access Has Not Equaled Change in Use

Recent research funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), finds that adolescent marijuana use and binge drinking did not significantly change during the COVID-19 pandemic despite reported decreases in substance access.

NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. states, "This indicates that teens were able to obtain them despite barriers caused by the pandemic and despite not being of age to legally purchase them."