US Pharm. 2010;35(3):31-37. The National Survey on Drug Use and
Health (NSDUH) and the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey
provide updated, long-term statistics about and insight into
drug use across age, racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic
groups, among others.1,2 Both surveys highlight the need for
focused attention on combating prescription drug abuse in the
adolescent population (age 12–17 years). The NSDUH (previously
named the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse), which has
been conducted since 1971, assesses a sample of individuals over
the age of 12 years. The MTF survey, sponsored by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), has been conducted by the
University of Michigan Institute for Social Research since 1975
and focuses primarily on a sample of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-
graders. Despite similar trends in both surveys regarding the
prevalence of drug abuse, the NSDUH has traditionally reported
lower rates of substance abuse among adolescents.1,2 While the
MTF survey does not assess misuse of