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Drugs
and Adolescents
Studies are
beginning to show a rise in teen drug use in the United States. The rise
in illicit drug use has been particularly pronounced in the case of marijuana.
For
example, in the late 1970's, 37% of teens questioned said they had smoked
marijuana in the past month. In the mid 1980's, 25% said they had. Likewise,
teen
use of inhalants and hallucinogens such as LSD has gradually increased since the
early 1980's. Almost two-thirds of our teenagers try some kind of illegal drug
before
they leave high school.
The
Department of Health and Human Services has identified changes in behavior
which may be signs that a teen is involved in drug use. These include the
following:
Abrupt
changes in mood or attitude
Sudden decline in attendance or performance at school or work
Sudden resistance to discipline at home or school
Unusual flare-ups of temper
Increased borrowing of money from parents orfriends
Stealing
Heightened secrecy about actions orpossessions
Associating with a new group of friends, particularly with those who use drugs.
If you think
your teenager has a problem with drugs or alcohol, there are
organizations and agencies that can help. Your family doctor or local health
department may be able to recommend a treatment program.
1998 CASA National Survey of Teens, Teachers
and Principals
o joseph A. Califanoia, Jr. and Alyse Booth
September 1998
KEY
FINDINGS
THE
DRUG-PLAGUED WORLD OF OUR TEENS
Teens continue to rank drugs as the single most important
problem facing people their age. Teachers and principals
say bad parents or family problems are the biggest
problem, yet kids rank parents 10th.
Just 8% of
12-year-olds know a drug dealer at school; by
drugs is widespread. Two out of five
friend or classmate who has used acid,
cocaine or heroin.
The social
usage of marijuana is extensive. 51% of 15- to
17-year-olds have been to a party that featured pot in the
last six months. 26% of 15-year- olds, 30% of
16-year-olds and 35% of 17-year-olds say a majority of
the parties they have attended in the past six months had
pot available. Those numbers increase to 38%, 42% and
54% for parties with alcohol.
More than a
third (37%) of older teens (15- to
17-year-olds)
have personally seen drugs sold on school
grounds, as have 16% of 12- to 14-year-olds.
45% of high
school students say they could buy marijuana
in an hour or less; only 14% say they couldn't buy it at all.
26% of teens say they could buy hard drugs such as acid,
cocaine or heroin within a day.
84% of 12-year-olds would report a student using illegal
drugs at school compared to only 31% of 16-year-olds and
37% of 17-year-olds. 80% of 12-year-olds would report a
student selling illegal drugs; only 27% of 15- to
17-year-olds would.
Almost
two-thirds of 12-year-old smokers cite their friends
as the reason they started; peer influence declines the older
teens get.
Almost one
in four teen smokers (22%) say they continue
to smoke because they are hooked/addicted.
FROM 12 TO
13: THE TURNING POINT YEAR
the transition from age 12 to 13 now marks the most
dramatic increase in kids' exposure to drugs and a decisive
shift in attitude about drugs and parental involvement in
their lives. Between age 12 and 13:
The
proportion of teens who say they could buy marijuana
if they wanted to more than triples, from 14% to 50%.
The
percentage of teens who say they know a student at
their school who sells illegal drugs almost triples, from 8%
to 22%
A 13-year-old is almost 3 times likelier to know a teen who
uses acid, cocaine or heroin than a 12-year-old and 3 times
likelier to be able to buy acid, cocaine or heroin.
The share of students who would be unwilling to report a
fellow student they personally saw using illegal drugs more
than triples from 15% to 48%.
The
percentage of teens who say they rely most on their
parents opinions when making important decisions drops by
almost a third from 58% to 42%.
PARENTAL
INVOLVEMENT AND RELIGIOUS LIFE
As in past
years, CASA identified risk factors that correlate
with teen smoking, drinking and using drugs related to
religious life and parental involvement in their lives:
Teens who
smoked and drank in the past month and used
marijuana are less likely to attend religious services
regularly; only 8% of teens who attended services four
imes a month smoked, 19% drank and 13% smoked
marijuana compared with 22% of teens who smoked, 32%
who drank and 39% who smoked marijuana who attended
religious services less than once a month.
Teens who
eat dinner often with their parents are also less
likely to abuse substances: 6% of smokers, 20% of
drinkers and 12% of pot smokers eat dinner with their
parents 6 or 7 times a week compared to 24% of smokers,
35% of drinkers and 35% of pot smokers who eat dinner
with parents 0-2 times a week.
22% of
smokers always tell their parents where they are
going on the weekend compared with 59% of
non-smokers; 44% of pot smokers always tell their parents
where they are after school compared with 61% of non-pot
smokers. 21% of pot smokers rely most on opinions of
parents compared with 45% of teens who never smoked
pot and 31% of pot smokers hang out with friends after
school compared with 17% of non-pot smokers.
THE TEACHER,
PRINCIPAL AND TEEN
DISCONNECT
There is a
severe disconnect between school principals and
the students they supervise when it comes to the drug issue.
From perceptions of drug existence to drug use, teens see
drugs virtually everywhere and principals see them virtually
nowhere.
11% of
principals, 35% of teachers and 66% of students
say their school is NOT drug-free.
While only
15% of high school principals say the drug
problem is getting worse, 41% of teachers and 51% of high
school students believe it is getting worse.
27% of high
school principals and 26% of high schooteachers believe most students have tried
pot, compared to
71% of their students.
In high
school, 67% of principals say their schools are
smoke-free compared to 46% of teachers and 14% of
students agree.
Half of high
school teachers (50%) believe that a student
who uses marijuana every weekend can still do well in
school compared with 48% of principals and 23% of
students.
While 48% of
teens say they receive no more than 2 hours
of anti-drug education compared to 6% of principals and
12% of teachers, 69% of principals, 50% of teachers and
only 27% of teens say students receive 10+ hours of
anti-drug education.
THE SMOKING,
DRINKING, AND DRUG
CONNECTION
Teens who
use one substance are far more likely to usanother.
Compared to
teens who don't smoke:
Teens who smoke are 5« times likelier to have tried
marijuana , 6 times likelier to get drunk at least once a
month and have drunk alcohol on 3 or more occasions in
the past month and 3 times likelier to try an illegal drug in
the future than teens who don't smoke.
Compared to
teens who have not smoked pot:
Teens who have smoked pot are 15 times likelier to have
smoked cigarettes in the past month, 4 times likelier to have
drunk alcohol in the past month, 9 times likelier to get drunk
at least once a month and 3« times likelier to try an illegal
drug in the future.
Compared to
teens who have not drunk alcohol in the past
month:
Teens who
drank alcohol in the past month are 5 times
likelier to smoke cigarettes, 4 times likelier to smoke
marijuana and 3 times likelier to try an illegal drug in the
future. 87% of the students who hang out mostly with kids
who drink also have friends that smoke pot.
