After a decade-long decline, more American teens were using alcohol and marijuana in 2009, according to an annual survey released Tuesday by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
The study found that the number of teens in grades 9 through 12 who said they drank alcohol in the past month rose 11 percent last year. In total, 39 percent (about 6.5 million) of teens said they'd drank alcohol in 2009, up from 35 percent (about 5.8 million) of teens in 2008, the Associated Press reported.
Last year, 25 percent of teens said they'd smoking marijuana in the last month, compared with 19 percent in 2008.
Use of the party drug Ecstasy within the last month also increased, from four percent in 2008 to six percent last year, the study said.
"I'm a little worried that we may be seeing the leading edge of a trend here," said Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the AP reported. "Historically, you do see the increase in recreational drugs before you see increases in some of the harder drugs."