Pubdate: Sat, 26 Feb 2005
Source: Bowling Green Daily News (KY)
Copyright: 2005 News Publishing LLC
Contact:  http://www.bgdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1218
Author:  Courtney Craig
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

DRUG USE BY TEENS DECLINES

Use Of Cocaine, Cigarettes, Hallucinogens Still Above Average In Some Grades

Cocaine use among seniors in Bowling Green City and Warren County
schools in 2004 dropped slightly from 2003 figures, but still remains
above the national average.

According to results from the annual PRIDE survey, given anonymously
to students in grades 7 through 12 in the city and county schools,
13.1 percent of high school seniors admitted to using cocaine in 2004.
That's a slight drop from 2003's figure of 14 percent, but the 2004
rate exceeds the national average by 3.6 percent; it marks the third
year 12th-grade use has exceeded the national average.

Cocaine use in local schools also exceeded the national average in
grades 9, 10 and 11. The survey showed that 6.3 percent of
ninth-graders, 7.9 percent of 10th-graders and 10.5 percent of
11th-graders admitted to use.

"The purpose of the survey is to identify student patterns of drug and
alcohol use," said Meg Crittenden, director of public relations for
Bowling Green City Schools. "Using the same survey every year gives us
a better picture of drug use in our schools."

Students who admitted to using the drugs asked in the survey, which
included beer, liquor, marijuana, uppers, downers, inhalants,
hallucinogens and many others, could have used the drug to varying
degrees -- only once in the past year, every day or somewhere in-between.

Other drugs in which local schools exceeded the national averages in
use were cigarettes in grades 9, 10 and 11; and hallucinogens in
grades 9, 10, 11 and 12. This is also the third year in a row
hallucinogen use has exceeded the national average at all grade
levels, with 5.6 of ninth-graders, 6.2 percent of 10th-graders, 7.9
percent of 11th-graders and 11.8 percent of 12th-graders admitting to
use.

Cigarette use is much more popular -- 29.7 percent of ninth-graders,
33 percent of 10th-graders and 37.1 percent of 11th-graders admitted
to use.

On a brighter side, local schools are below the national average in
cigarette use for grades 7, 8 and 12; beer for all grades; cocaine for
grades 7 and 8; marijuana for all grades; and hallucinogens for grades
7 and 8. Use in many areas has dropped since 2003, especially in
alcohol use among seniors, which dropped by 6.4 percent.

Officials said they are encouraged by the drop in use of uppers since
2003 in grades 7, 8, 10 and 11, which is surprising due to the
popularity of methamphetamine.

"Trends are down," said Nancy Bertuleit, safe and drug-free schools
specialist for Warren County Schools. "That's good news; we'll take
that. But there's a caveat -- the good work we've been doing is just
beginning. Maybe what we're doing is working for our youth, but it's
only the beginning."

The PRIDE survey also asked students questions about the availability
of liquor and marijuana, with accessibility increasing in each case as
students get older. Bertuleit said she found it disturbing that in
questions about where students usually used liquor and marijuana,
significant numbers said they used them at home. Most said they used
drugs at friends' houses.

"If it's not a supervision issue, we can infer that parents are
condoning it or even joining in," Bertuleit said.

Other questions asked how harmful students think it is to drink liquor
and smoke marijuana, with most responding that it's very harmful.
Bertuleit said the kids know about the harmful effects of what they're
doing, but many continue to use anyway.

"We teach our students that these are substances that are harmful to
their health," she said. "Kids know that alcohol is harmful to their
bodies -- a minority of them reported that it's not harmful at all."

The key to reversing the trends of drug use is to get the community
involved, officials agreed. Programs such as the drug testing program
for athletes in Warren County high schools help give kids a reason not
to do drugs, they say.

In this voluntary program, student athletes take urinalyses to test
their drug use. If it comes out positive, which is rare, that
student's parents are called.

"These students are leaders," said Randall Jackson, director of
districtwide student and support services for the county schools.
"This gives them a way to show they're taking a stand."

City and county schools began administering the PRIDE survey in 1995,
and its results show use of most drugs has dropped since then. Bowling
Green City Schools Superintendent John Settle said it's important to
share the survey results with the community because it takes everyone
to curb drug use.

"If we're going to impact drug use in our schools, we have to have the
support of the community," Settle said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin