Popular movies such as Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds have certainly highlighted the use of drugs and alcohol on college campuses. Some colleges even pride themselves on getting on the Top 10 Party School list that is released by the Princeton Review every year. What are the facts about current use and abuse of drugs and alcohol by college students?
A quick survey of the subject reveals that there is no lack of good research by reputable organizations on the subject. Starting in 1971 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has conducted annual surveys called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) of the US population 12 years and older. The data can be grouped and analyzed by age group with extensive analysis on 18-25 year olds or college aged population. The other major annual drug use survey is conducted by called Monitoring the Future (MTF) and first began in 1972. The age groups surveyed for MTF are 8th, 10th, 12th graders, College Students, and Young Adults.
One of the key factors in assessing the accuracy of any survey results is whether they can be validated and verified by data from other independent studies, especially for surveys on behaviors that are considered illegal, such as use of illicit drugs and underage drinking. When comparing the results between surveys, NSDUH and MTF have shown almost identical trends in the frequency and variability of drug use from year-to-year and over the long-term since the surveys began nearly 40 years ago which indicates a high level of confidence in the survey results.