Pubdate: Fri, 15 Dec 2000
Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA)
Copyright: 2000 Press-Telegram.
Contact:  http://www.ptconnect.com/

TEEN DRUG USE SAME FOR 4TH YEAR

WASHINGTON Illicit drug use among teen-agers held steady in 2000 for the 
fourth straight year, and cigarette smoking declined significantly, the 
government reported Thursday.

The annual Monitoring the Future survey, a benchmark for teen drug, alcohol 
and tobacco use, had mostly good news, with drops among eighth-, 10th- and 
12th-graders. But it also found use of the drug ecstasy, a favorite at 
dance clubs, increasing for the second year running. And the number of high 
school seniors using heroin hit its highest point since the survey began in 
1975.

The survey of 45,000 students in 435 randomly chosen schools nationwide 
found that use of cocaine and hallucinogens such as LSD dropped, with 
marijuana use unchanged from 1999.

The results were released Thursday by Health and Human Services Secretary 
Donna Shalala and Barry McCaffrey, White House drug policy director.

Despite success in holding back increases, Shalala said, "we must remain 
vigilant to new threats, particularly that of so-called club drugs such as 
ecstasy." She said parents and teachers must realize they are the "first 
and best" influence against drug use by children.

After increasing through the mid-1990s, teen drug use leveled off and in 
some cases, dropped in 1996. This year, usage was steady no matter how it 
was measured in the last month, year or ever.
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