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20ThE ChALLEN

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PPreliminary findings from the 1996National Household Survey onDrug Abuse (NHSDA) showdeclines in teenage use of allillicit drugs, alcohol, and smoke-less tobacco.

While the overall use of drugsamong Americans of all agesremained virtually unchanged from1995 to 1996 (12.8 million users in1995 to 13.0 million in 1996), therate of use among 12- to 17-year-olds declined for the first timesince 1992 (10.9% in 1995 to 9.0%

in 1996). It is reported that thedecrease actually occurred among12- to 15-year-olds, while no sig-nificant changes occurred amongthose aged 16 to 17.

Important in thearena of illicit

drug use is the rate

of marijuana use by teens. Even

though the change from 8.2% to7.1% is not considered statisticallysignificant, it may well indicate areversal of the trend that has seenmarijuana use by teens doublefrom 1992 to 1995. We should beencouraged by the end of the five-year rise in juvenile use of marijua-na, White House National DrugPolicy Director Barry McCaffreysaid. But he warned, Drug use byour schoolchildren remains unac-

ceptably high. Fifty percent of ourchildren will have used an illegaldrug by the time they finish highschool.

NHSDA also shows that whiletobacco and alcohol use by teenscontinues to be high, there havebeen improvements. Alcohol useamong 12- to 17-year-oldsdeclined from 21.1% to 18.8%between 1995 and 1996. In addi-tion, smokeless tobacco usedeclined from 2.8% in 1995 to1.9% in 1996.

There were still findings ofteenage behaviors that cause con-cern. One is the news that moreteenagers are now trying heroin forthe first time. Since 1992 newheroin use has been increasing. Alarge portion of todays new users

have been smok-ing, snorting, orsniffing heroin

and most beginbefore age 26. Forthe 12- to 17-

year-olds the

rate of heroin initiation is at an all

time high of 2.5%.NHSDA is conducted by the

Substance Abuse and MentalHealth Services Administrationand is based on a representativesample of the U.S. population overthe age of 12. In 1996, a sample of18,269 persons was interviewed forthe survey.

TThe Commission on SubstanceAbuse Among Americas Adoles-cents, established two years ago bythe National Center on Addictionand Substance Abuse at Columbia

University (CASA), conducted thea national survey of teachers, prin-cipals, adolescents, and parents onsubstance abuse in U.S. schools.

The survey reveals that drugs areprevalent in the schools. More thanthree-fourths of the high schoolstudents surveyed and almost halfof the middle school students saydrugs are kept, used, and sold onschool grounds. Similar numbers(74% of high school students and52% of middle school students)report that a student had beenexpelled or suspended for possess-ing, using, or selling drugs in thepast year.

Teachers and principals see thesituation differently from the stu-dents. Twelve percent of highschool teachers report seeing drugs

NATIONAL HOUSEHOLDNATIONAL HOUSEHOLD

SURVEY REPORTSSURVEY REPORTS

CHANGE IN DIRECTIONCHANGE IN DIRECTION

OF TEEN DRUG USEOF TEEN DRUG USE

1st REPORT SURVEYING1st REPORT SURVEYING

TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS,TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS,

TEENS & PARENTSTEENS & PARENTS

RELEASED FROM CASARELEASED FROM CASA

DDRUGRUG ANDAND VVIOLENCEIOLENCE TRENDSTRENDS &&NEWSNEWS

2.5%2.5%

2.0%2.0%

1.5%1.5%

1.0%1.0%

0.5%0.5%

0019871987 8888 8989 9090 9191 9292 9393 9494 19951995

NEW USERS OF HEROINNEW USERS OF HEROIN

Chart shows the percentage

of 12- to 17-year-olds who triedheroin for the first time duringthe corresponding years

Source: 1996 NHSDASource: 1996 NHSDA

Two recent studies relate new finding

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