Survey: Teen drug, alcohol use lowest in decade
July 18, 2002 Posted: 4:13 PM EDT (2013 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Drug, alcohol and cigarette use among sixth- to 12th-graders is at the lowest level in years, partly because adults are doing more to keep their kids away from illicit substances, according to a survey released Wednesday.
Parents and teachers are warning students about drug use and encouraging kids to nurture other interests by joining extracurricular school and religious activities, the 2001-02 Pride Survey said.
The percentage of students using any illicit drug -- including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and others -- dropped to 22.3 percent, the lowest level registered by the study since the 1993-94 school year.
The percentages of students who said they drank alcohol, 65 percent, or smoked cigarettes, 36 percent, in the previous 12 months were the lowest in the 15-year history of the Pride Surveys...
...
The national survey found some signs, however, that certain drugs have taken firm hold among teens. Among sixth- through eighth-graders, the use of cocaine, downers and heroin was unchanged for annual and monthly use. Monthly inhalant and hallucinogen use also remained level, the survey said.
Among 12th-graders, the monthly use of cocaine, heroin and steroids remained the same, according to the survey.
Full article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/parenting/07/17/drug.survey.ap/index.html
BigTrancer