A recent nationwide study published in The National Medical Journal of India reveals that a significant portion (10.3% in the past year) of school-going adolescents in India engage in psychoactive substance use, primarily for occasional purposes. The findings highlight a growing need for early intervention and school-based prevention programs.Adolescence is characterized by rapid physical, cognitive, and social transformations with increased risky behaviors, yet recent data on substance use among school students in the Indian context remains scarce. Household surveys often suffer from under-reporting due to a lack of privacy, necessitating school-based assessments to capture more accurate prevalence rates. Led by Dr. Anju Dhawan from the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the study aimed to evaluate the extent, patterns, and associated risk factors of substance use among students across diverse urban and rural settings.For more details, check out the full story on the link below:Nationwide Survey Highlights Prevalence of Psychoactive Substance Use Among Indian School Students