Pubdate: Sat, 06 Oct 2007 Source: Marietta Times, The (OH) Copyright: 2007 The Marietta Times Contact: http://www.mariettatimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2988 Author: Brad Bauer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) DRUGS A PART OF LOCAL TEEN CULTURE Free Time, Parties Can Open Door To Using National studies show teen drug and alcohol abuse has leveled off or decreased; however, local students say most parents and teachers would be surprised to learn how many kids abuse substances -- and why. About half of all students have tried an illicit drug by the time they have reached 12th grade, according to a 2006 survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a federally funded program conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Twenty-one percent of students questioned said they had used drugs within the past month. About 73 percent of students indicated they have tried alcohol and 43 percent said they drank within the past month. Local students say experimenting with drugs and alcohol is a popular way to simply keep from being bored. "I don't think people do it because they're angry or depressed," said Marietta High School junior Aaron Williams, 16. "I just think if there was more to do around here there would be a lot less drinking and drugs." Williams said most drug and alcohol use by his peers takes place away from school grounds. "A lot of it is parties on weekends and after football games," Williams said. "And not as much, but I think some people might get together through the week at someone's house." Marietta High School sophomore Marcie Dyar, 15, said she knows several people -- even some close friends -- who have experimented with drugs or alcohol. She said she's managed to resist the temptation so far. "It's not everyone, but more like a handful in each class," Dyar said. "I'm just surprised by the number of freshmen getting involved." Williams and Dyar said marijuana and booze are by far the most commonly abused substances by area high school students; however, both said they've noticed an increase in prescription medication abuse. Nearly 10 percent of all high school seniors abused prescription painkillers last year, according the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Prescription drug abuse among eighth-graders nearly doubled since 2002, from 1.3 percent to 2.6 percent last year. Washington County sheriff's Detective Deron Alkire said the availability and potency of prescription drugs makes them attractive to students. "The other reasons kids are starting to prefer pills is that a parent can't smell it on their breath like alcohol," he said. "And imagine how hard it is to hide a six-pack of beer as opposed to six pills." And most parents are aren't likely to immediately notice a few pills missing from the medicine cabinet, Alkire said. According to the drug study, drug abuse among teens peaked in the mid-1990s and has since declined by 23 percent. Marietta High School Principal Mike Elliott said drug prevention programs and increased awareness have helped to reduce drug abuse among teens. Elliott said in addition to educating students of the potential dangers, faculty members look for out-of-character behavior. Based on the few instances of drugs being found on campus, he agreed with the students' assessment that most abuse takes place away from school. "My biggest concern is unstructured time ... when students are out of class and off school grounds," Elliott said. "Still, I'm not naive to the possibility that it could happen at school. But based on the evidence, it doesn't happen often." Elliott said in the past five years only a handful of students have been suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the high school. As an added security measure, he said police dogs are invited into the school several times per year to check for drugs. Alkire said the drug-searching dogs are used at all area high schools. He agreed that it appears most students don't take drugs to school. "Kids seem to be most at risk in their free time and when they attend gatherings with other kids," Alkire said. Key findings in 2006: Decreases or stability in abuse patterns were noted for most drugs from 2005 to 2006. Abuse of painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin within the past year continued at levels that raise concern. Past-year abuse of Vicodin was 3 percent among eighth graders, 7 percent among 10th graders and 9.7 percent among 12th graders. Lifetime abuse of alcohol decreased for 12th graders from 75.1 percent to 72.7 percent. Just under half of all high school seniors (47.8 percent) have tried marijuana. Six percent use it daily and 21.5 percent indicated they had used it in the past month. Among high school seniors, 48.2 percent indicated they had at least tried an illicit drug at some point, while 21.5 percent indicated they had used an illicit drug in the past month. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek