Pubdate: Thu, 22 Apr 2004
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2004, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/TorontoSun/home.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Jason Botchford

SURVEY SHOWS TREND'S UNIQUE

THE GROWING popularity of cocaine as a drug of choice for Canadian
adolescents is a trend not seen with any other drug, a leading Canadian drug
researcher says. Dr. Edward Adlaf, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, is the lead researcher on the most comprehensive student survey
carried out in Ontario.

Tracking student drug trends semi-annually since 1977, the survey found
rates of cocaine use were at their peak in 1977 when 5.1% of Grades 7-13
students reported use in the past 12 months.

That was followed by a steady decline to 1.5% in 1993. But since then use
has climbed and the most recent report, released in November, showed 5.1% of
one million students said they had tried cocaine.

SOMETHING'S GOING ON

"There is something going on with cocaine that isn't happening with anything
else," Adlaf said. "The changes in attitude and beliefs are specifically
related to cocaine in a manner that's different to other drugs."

The percentage of students using Ecstasy was shown to be down to 4.1% from
6% in 2001 while LSD use dropped from 4.8% in 2001 to 2.9% this past year.

Marijuana continues to be stable, with 30% of students reporting they have
used pot, and alcohol remains the biggest problem, with 66.2% of students
from Grades 7 to 12 admitting to drinking.

"There's some anecdotal evidence that shows the increase in cocaine use is
in some way tied to the negative reports of Ecstasy," he said.

"Often, when dealing with drugs there is a generational gap, and it could be
that people's attitudes change because they haven't experienced first or
second hand the negative or adverse effects of cocaine," Adlaf said. 
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