Alcover KC, et al. - Researchers explored current trends in the mean age at initiation for 18 internationally regulated drugs (including alcohol and tobacco), focusing on the critical neurodevelopmental period (ages 12-21 years), utilizing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). At an early age, the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs (eg, before age 18 years) increases the likelihood of drug use disorder, which may disrupt brain development. A current US report revealed decreased incidence of some drugs, such as marijuana and tobacco, among people aged 12 to 17 years, while the contrary is true among those aged 18 to 25 years. This implies an increase in the mean age at initiation of some drugs, although they did not find evidence of this in recent literature.