Lloyd Johnson, PhD, Principal Investigator for the Monitoring the Future Survey at the University of Michigan, received the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this month.

Dr. Johnson was given the award in recognition of his exceptional research about the behaviors and attitudes of young people, on February 8 at CADCA’s 22nd Annual National Leadership Forum.

CADCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes leaders in the field of substance abuse prevention, treatment and/or recovery who have made a significant impact in our understanding of substance abuse and addiction through research and other efforts.

“For more than 30 years, Dr. Lloyd Johnson and his team at the University of Michigan have surveyed youth throughout the country about their drug and alcohol use, and attitudes, providing us with critical information about the risk-taking behaviors of young people and helping to educate the general public about substance abuse,” CADCA Chairman & CEO Gen. Arthur T. Dean said in a news release. “It is because of his leadership and exceptional research, that we now have a wide body of data that tracks youth drug use over time and informs both Congress and the public at large about key trends and emerging issues.”

Monitoring the Future is an ongoing survey of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults. Every year, 50,000 students in the eighth, tenth and twelfth grades are surveyed, and yearly follow-up questionnaires are mailed to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years afterwards.