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Substance Abuse

Youth Culture Research and Trends

Youth Issues: Substance Abuse

Teen Parents and Underage Drinking

Miller Brewing Company commissioned a survey of 600 parents of teenagers in April 2005 about their attitudes regarding underage drinking. Some of the key findings:

o 64% of parents drank underage

o 62% of parents believe underage drinking is more of a problem today than when they were teens

o 25% of parents believe there are appropriate times for teens to drink

http://www.millerbrewing.com/pressRoom/newReleasesDetails.asp?ideanumber=132

See also: Powdered alcopops

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1596657,00.html

Smoking Prevalence

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from the 2003 National Health Interview Survey, which interviewed 30,852 U.S. adults, and found that 21.6% (24.1% men and 19.2% women) of U.S. adults were current smokers.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5420a3.htm

See also: Study says tobacco companies modified cigarettes to lure women

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press05292005.html

Marijuana Flavored Candy

Controversy regarding the marketing of marijuana flavored candy with names such as Chronic Candy and Pot Suckers.

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,577006,00.html

See also: Marijuana myths

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr042605p.html

See also: Marijuana incarceration rates

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press05/051805.html

See also: CPYU archive article about teens and marijuana

/Page.aspx?id=76845

PG-13 Movie Smoking

Dartmouth Medical School researchers report that tobacco brand appearances in PG-13 movies dropped to 11.8% from 15.0% from analysis of 400 movies before, and 400 movies after, the Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/293/19/2341 (free extract only) or

http://dms.dartmouth.edu/news/2005_h1/17may2005_movies.shtml

See also: Smoking in movies influences adolescent smoking

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.03.006 (free abstract only)

See also: Second-hand smoke danger

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=525841

See also: Banning sweet flavored cigarettes

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/05/13/sweet.smokes.ap/index.html

Alcohol Merchandise and Underage Drinking

According to researchers from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center youth who own alcohol promotion items are 1.5 times more likely to drink alcohol than their peers, from a longitudinal study of 2,406 Vermont and New Hampshire middle school students.

http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id2&org_id=2&morg_id=0&gsec_id=2&sec_id=2&item_id=32737

See also: Teen People (June/July 2005, pp. 144-148) reports that 61% of 13-24 year-olds have tried alcohol from an online survey. Also, 59% of teen drinkers say their parents are not aware they drink, and 32% have gone further sexually while drinking than if sober.

See also: U.S. consumers drifting from beer to spirits

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=44950 or

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2005-05-15-beer-makers-usat_x.htm

See also: College drunkenness and increased risk of injuries

http://www1.wfubmc.edu/news/NewsArticle.htm?Articleid=1609

See also: Vaporized alcohol (A.W.O.L.) controversy

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1061526,00.html

Prescription Painkiller Abuse

The Partnership For a Drug-Free America’s 17^th annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, conducted on 7,300+ teenagers, reveals the percentage of teens abusing prescription painkillers and over-the-counter medications. Overall, 18% of teens (4.3 million) report abusing Vicodin®, 10% (2.3 million) report abusing OxyContin®, 10% have tried Ritalin® and/or Adderall®, 9% (2.2 million) have abused non-prescription cold medications.

http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/About/NewsReleases/Generation_Rx_Teens_Abusing_Rx
_and_OTC_Medications

http://www.drugfree.org/Files/Full_Report_PATS_TEENS_7th-12th_grades_2004 (25 page pdf file)

See also: CPYU article about teen abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs

/pageview.asp?pageid=18566

See also: Steroid use and girls

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/04/25/girls.steroids.ap/index.html

Underage Drinking Risk

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports the prevalence of alcohol treatment admissions by age of alcohol initiation. Overall, 12% of those in alcohol treatment began drinking before age 12; 25% began drinking between age 12-14; 35% between 15-17; and 16% between 18-20.

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050414nr_teach_RON.htm or

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k5/alcAgeTX/alcAgeTX.cfm

See also: “Drinking-and-driving” on the rise again”

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=525283

See also: Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens

http://nhtsa.gov/people/Crash/LCOD/index.htm

See also: Underage house party crackdown (Time, April 18, 2005, pp. 142-143)

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1047499,00.html

Youth Tobacco Use

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released findings from its National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2004 on 27,933 middle and high school students. Overall, 8.1% of middle school students (7.7% male and 8.6% female) and 22.3% of high school students (22.1% male and 22.4% female) reported current cigarette use. Also, 2.9% of middle school students (3.9% male and 1.9% female) and 6.0% of high school students (10.8% male and 1.4% female) reported current smokeless tobacco use, and 5.2% of middle school students (6.6% male and 3.8% female) and 12.8% of high school students (18.4% male and 7.5% female) reported current cigar use.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5412a1.htm

Family Substance Use

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University released a report, Family Matters: Substance Abuse and the American Family, which details the prevalence of substance use among U.S. parents and its impact on youth. According to the findings, youth under the age of 18 live where a parent or other adult uses illicit drugs (13%), is a binge/heavy drinker (24%), or uses tobacco (37%).

http://www.casacolumbia.org/supportcasa/item.asp?cID=12&PID=136 or

http://66.135.34.236/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.asp?articleid=383&zoneid=56

See also: Inhalant use reports

http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/DrugIssue/News/New_Findings_on_Inhalants_
Parent_and_Youth and

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050317nr_inhalants.htm

See also: Adolescent athlete steroid addiction

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7348758/

See also: CPYU article about teen steroid abuse

/pageview.asp?pageid=7763

Teen Substance Use

The Gallup Tuesday Briefing reports the percentage of teens who have occasion to consume alcohol (17% total; 10% for 13-15 year-olds and 25% for 16-17 year-olds), smoked cigarettes in the past week (5% total; 3% for 13-15 year-olds and 6% for 16-17 year-olds) and who have ever tried marijuana (13% total; 7% for 13-15 year-olds and 16% for 16-17 year-olds), from the results of a survey of 1,028 13-17 year-old teens conducted between January 17 and February 6, 2005. Also, 12% of church attending teens had occasion to drink alcohol, compared to 24% of teens who did not attend church; 14% of teens with married parents had occasion to drink alcohol compared to 27% of teens with divorced parents.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/content/default.aspx?ci=15514 (fee to access)

See also: 8.6 million 12-17 year-old youth consumed alcohol in 2003

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050401nr_youth_alc.htm

See also: Mixed results from child well-being index

http://www.ffcd.org/PDFs/FINALCWIPRESSRELEASE.pdf (2 page press release)

http://www.ffcd.org/PDFs/2005CWI-Report-Final.pdf (17 page pdf file)

Teen Drunk Driving

The Gallup Tuesday Briefing reports that 9% of teens (4% of 13-15 year-olds and 13% of 16-17 year-olds) said they have been in the car of a teen driver who was under the influence of alcohol, and 7% of 16-17 year-olds said they have driven after drinking alcohol, from the results of a survey of 1,028 13-17 year-old teens conducted between January 17 and February 6, 2005.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/content/default.aspx?ci=15334 (fee to access)

See also: College alcohol DUI’s and deaths

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/mar2005/niaaa-17.htm or

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/press/2005/College.htm

Magazine Alcohol Ad Exposure

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth analyzed 10,455 alcohol ads appearing in magazines between 2001 and 2003 and found underage youth were overexposed to alcohol ads. Beer advertisements accounted for 16.8% ($55 million) of total ad spending in 2003, jumping from 9.9% ($34 million) in 2002.

http://camy.org/research/mag0405/

Truth® and Smoking

The American Legacy Foundation reports that there were 300,000 fewer youth smoker between 2000 and 2002 as a result of the truth® media campaign.

http://www.americanlegacy.org/americanlegacy/skins/alf/display.aspx?CategoryID=907e9b8f-9978-476c-bcb2-a518dbd3c464&ObjectID=173ad2da-9171-4e39-8a7b-63b7b7928a97&Action=display_user_object&Mode=user&ModuleID=ad3a024a-b2d6-4593-874f-9b66136bc614

See also: Smoking and suicide risk

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/101/106429.htm

See also: Parents who quit smoking influence their children too

http://www.fhcrc.org/news/science/2005/03/01/quit_smoking.html

See also: Many Mississippi student athletes and coaches use tobacco

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-03-10T203013Z_01_B343095_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-TOBACCO-ATHLETES-DC.XML

Underage Drinking

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University released a status report on underage drinking in the U.S.

http://camy.org/research/underage2004/

See also: “Newer generations slower to curb alcohol use”

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/101/106023.htm

See also: ‘Power Hour’ drinking game ritual

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0%2C1854%2C576418%2C00.html

See also: Drinking increases injury/death risk

http://www.jhsph.edu/PublicHealthNews/Press_Releases/2005/Chen_drinking.html

See also: CPYU article, “Beer—Normal and Fun?”

/pageview.asp?pageid=22876

Alcohol Ads and Teen Drinking

The RAND Corporation reports that teens who are exposed to alcohol ads in stores are more likely to drink alcohol compared to their non-drinking peers from a longitudinal study of 3,111 South Dakota teens.

http://www.rand.org/news/press.05/02.04.html or

http://www.addictionjournal.org/index.asp?addpage=newsitem&y=&id=24&Section=news

See also: Teen binge drinking and brain damage

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050214:MTFH86457_2005-02-14_21-47-18_B612318:1

See also: Alcohol use and Body Mass Index link

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/press/2005/Drinking-Patterns.htm

Substance Use

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports the combined substance use data from the 2002 and 2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health conducted on 136,000 individuals (age 12 and older). Some key findings:

o 10.8% report using marijuana in the past year (6.2% in the past month)

o 50.%% report drinking alcohol in the past month

o 25.7% report smoking cigarettes in the past month

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050214nr_bystate.htm

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k3State/high.htm

http://oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm#NHSDAinfo

See also: Marijuana use and brain blood-flow

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/100/105717.htm

See also: Methamphetamine and non-prescription stimulant use

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/050204nr_stimulants.htm

See also: Cold medicine crackdown to curb meth

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0215/p02s02-uspo.html

Second-Hand Smoke

Second hand smoke negatively impacts child test scores according to a study of 4,399 6-16 year-olds conducted between 1988 and 1994, as reported by HealthDay.com.

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=523226

See also: Tobacco promotion on college campuses

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/95/1/138

See also: Flavored cigarette controversy

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-01-05-smokes-usat_x.htm

Teen Drunk/Drugged Driving

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 4.2 million (21%) 16-20 year-olds have driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/041230nr_ddd_youth.htm or

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k4/youthDUI/youthDUI.cfm

See also: Alcohol impairs depth perception

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4135233.stm

See also: Parents’ self-fulfilling prophecy about child alcohol consumption

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7202158&section=news

See also: Alcohol consumption and sexual assault

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-12-31-alcohol-coeds_x.htm and

http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/news/2004-12-17.htm

Teen Substance Use

The 2004 Monitoring the Future survey of 49,474 8^th-12^th grade students conducted by the University of Michigan shows an overall drop in drug use. Some key findings:

· 11.8% of 8^th graders, 27.5% of 10^th graders, and 34.3% of 12^th graders have used marijuana in the past year

· 9.6% of 8^th graders, 5.9% of 10^th graders, and 4.2%% of 12^th graders have used inhalants in the past year

· 2.0% 8^th graders, 3.7% of 10^th graders, and 5.3% of 12^th graders have used cocaine in the past year

· 1.7% of 8^th graders, 3.5% of 10^th graders, and 5.0% of 12^th graders have used OxyContin in the past year

· 1.5% of 8^th graders, 3.0% of 10^th graders, and 3.4% of 12^th graders have used meth in the past year

· 36.7% of 8^th graders, 58.2% of 10^th graders, and 70.6% of 12^th graders have used alcohol in the past year

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/04data.html#2004data-drugs

See also: Concern over new rave drugs

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=366370&page=1

See also: College students use prescribed stimulant for non-medical purpose

http://www.umich.edu/news/?Releases/2005/Jan05/r010605

Alcopops and Underage Drinking

The American Medical Association reports the results of a survey of 741 12-18 year-olds conducted in October 2004 by Teenage Research Unlimited, which highlights the impact of alcopop marketing on teen girl attitudes and behaviors. Overall, 31% of teen girls and 19% of teen boys have consumed alcopops in the past 6 months; 51% of teens have seen alcopop ads.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14427.html and

http://www.alcoholpolicysolutions.net/alcoholpolicymd/press_room/girlie_
drinks_release.htm and http://www.alcoholpolicysolutions.net/alcoholpolicymd/alcohol_and_
health/girlie_drinks_survey%20.pdf

See also: Teen alcohol use in Europe

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7091886&section=news

See also: CPYU archive article about “alcopops”

/pageview.asp?pageid=7752

Steroids and Teens

The December 20, 2004 edition of Newsweek features a cover story article on steroids and teens.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6701139/site/newsweek/

See also: CPYU article about steroids

/pageview.asp?pageid=7763

See also: “Steroid scandals: the view from the kids’ locker room”

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1214/p01s02-ussc.html

See also: Miss Artificial Beauty winner in China

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=7130314&section=news

Retail Tobacco Marketing and Adolescents

Researchers surveyed 2,125 middle-school students in central California and found a connection between exposure to tobacco advertisements at local convenience stores and smoking initiation. The study appears in the December 2004 edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/12/2081 (free abstract)

See also: Where teens get cigarettes

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_2_1x_Where_Do_Kids_Get_
Cigarettes.asp

See also: Candy flavored cigarettes attracting teens

http://www.nbc10.com/news/3967559/detail.html

See also: Smoking kills millions annually

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=522533

See also: Cigarettes cost society $40 a pack

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=522590

Youth Substance Abuse Rehab

Youth under the age of 18 accounted for 8% (92,251) of the population of people (1,092,546) in substance abuse treatment programs from data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

http://162.99.3.50/news/newsreleases/041105nr_nsaats.htm

See also: "Need to belong influences adolescent workplace drug use"

http://www.news-medical.net/print_article.asp?id=6089

See also: Pediatricians underestimate teen substance abusers

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=522074 or

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/5/e536 (free abstract)

See also: NASCAR permits hard-liquor ads

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/sports/20041110/c12autos10.art.htm

Youth Cigarette Access

Researchers from the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, reporting in the November 2004 edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, report on youth access to cigarettes from analysis of Monitoring the Future study data collected between 1997 and 2002 for 8^th, 10^th and 12^th grade students. Current youth smokers purchased cigarettes from a friend/relative (61.6% of 8^th graders, 66.2% of 10^th graders, and 63.5% of 12^th graders) or bought it themselves (39.4% of 8^th graders, 48.7% of 10^th graders, and 64.4% of 12^th graders). Also, 69.1% of 8^th graders, 53.4% of 10^th graders, and 46.3% of 12^th graders said they never smoked; up from 54.0%, 40.6% and 34.9%, respectively, in 1997.

http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0749-3797/PIIS0749379704001850.pdf (free access to full 10 page pdf file)

See also: Cigarette marketing puffs away

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/10/fyi0461.htm

See also: Teen perceptions of "light" cigarettes

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/94/103059.htm

See also: Social smoking college students

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/4/1028

TV Alcohol Ads

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth reports there were 298,054 alcohol advertisements (75.0% beer/ale, 11.7% distilled spirits, 8.4% alcopops, and 4.9% wine) on television in 2003 (289,381 in 2002 and 208,909 in 2001). Distilled spirits ads on cable networks jumped to 33,126 in 2003 from 513 in 2001. Alcohol ads during shows where an audience is comprised of greater than 30% of underage youth (age 12 to 20) jumped to 36,344 in 2003 from 24,512 in 2001.

http://camy.org/research/tv1004/

See also: CPYU article about "alcopops"

/pageview.asp?pageid=7752

See also: Beer industry battle for young drinkers

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,574864,00.html

See also: Young teen alcohol consumption linked with adult dependence/abuse

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/041022nr_delayed_alcohol.htm

Parents Influence Youth Alcohol Use

Researchers from the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center report that parents play a pivotal role in influencing teen alcohol consumption from the results of a survey of 6,245, 16-20 year old youth appearing in the October 2004 edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.12.001 (free abstract)

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=6369716§ion=news

See also: "Parents take risk in holding student drinking parties at home"

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,574674,00.html

See also: Alcohol abuse cuts lives short

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm

See also: Red Bull's impact on alcohol use

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,574732,00.html

See also: Caffeinated Budweiser

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=41683

See also: Caffeine withdrawal

http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/08/4165e99a80c5b

Substance Use and Teen Crime

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reports that 60% of arrested teens had various combinations of alcohol and/or substance abuse problems from analysis of year 2000 data.

http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.asp?articleid=371&zoneid=56

See also: 2003 crime rate statistics

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/cv03pr.htm

Top Party Colleges

The Princeton Review, an annual survey of more than 110,000 college students, reveals the top "Party Schools". The top 5 party schools were: SUNY at Albany, Washington and Lee University, University of Wisconsin, West Virginia University and Ohio University.

http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?

See also: Vaporized alcohol craze

http://www.health.org/redirect.asp?From=netNews&ID=2974)

See also: The Gallup Tuesday Briefing reports that 63% of U.S. adults (69% men and 58% women) consume alcohol and 37% totally abstain

http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12790 (fee to access)

See also: 9.4% of U.S. adults abuse alcohol or drugs

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/press/2004/comorbidity.htm

See also: Dangerous college drinking

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=3806

Club Drug ER Visits

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that club drug related emergency room visits are trending lower, from its "Club Drugs, 2002 Update" report. GHB was involved in 3,330 ER visits in 2002 (down from 4,969 in 2000).

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/040802nr_clubdrugs_DAWN.htm

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k4/clubdrugs/clubdrugs.cfm

See also: CPYU article about Ecstasy

/pageview.asp?pageid=7735

See also: Viagra taken for fun

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/92/101535.htm

Teen Sex, Dating and Substance Abuse

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University conducted a survey 1,000 12-17 year old youth between April and May 2004, which examined the connection between dating relationships and substance abuse. Teens with sexually active peers were 6.5 times more likely to drink alcohol, 22.5 times more likely to have tried marijuana, and 5.5 times more likely to smoke. Also, 45% of teens attend parties where alcohol is available (30% for marijuana and 10% for prescription drugs).

http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.asp?articleid=366&zoneid=56

http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/august_2004_casa_teen_survey.pdf (70 page pdf file)

See also: State teen substance use data

http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k2State/html/toc.htm

See also: "High" on legal herbs

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,574111,00.html

See also: "Monitoring the Future" data available

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2003.pdf (63 page pdf file)

Teen Drinking

The National Institutes of Health reports the prevalence of alcohol consumption among teenagers (80% of 12^th graders have consumed alcohol). Binge drinking in the past two weeks—defined as consuming 5 or more alcohol drinks during one sitting—was reported by 12% of 8^th graders and 30% of 12^th graders.

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/sep2004/niaaa-14.htm

See also: Binge drinking in late adolescence continues into adulthood

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/3/714 (free abstract)

See also: College binge drinking survey results

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=6183201§ion=news

See also: Eating disorders and alcohol abuse link

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=6194646§ion=news

Teen Substance Abuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse released the results of its 2003 "Monitoring the Future" study of adolescent drug use, which surveyed 48,500 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th graders from 392 nationwide schools. Some of the key findings:

§ Marijuana: 12.8% of 8^th graders, 28.2% of 10^th graders and 34.9% of 12^th graders have used marijuana in the past year (down from 14.6%, 30.3% and 36.2%, respectively, in 2002).

§ Inhalants: 8.7% of 8^th graders, 5.4% of 10^th graders and 3.9% of 12^th graders have used inhalants in the past year (up from 7.7% in 2002 for 8^th graders, and down from 5.8% for 10^th graders and 4.5% for 12^th graders)

§ Ecstasy: 2.1% of 8^th graders, 3.0% of 10^th graders and 4.5% of 12^th graders have used Ecstasy in the past year (down from 2.9%, 4.9% and 7.4%, respectively, in 2002).

§ OxyContin: 1.7% of 8^th graders, 3.6% of 10^th graders and 4.5% of 12^th graders have used OxyContin in the past year (up from 1.3%, 3.0% and 4.0%, respectively, in 2002).

§ Steroids: 1.4% of 8^th graders, 1.7% of 10^th graders and 2.1% of 12^th graders have used steroids in the past year (down from 1.5%, 2.2% and 2.5%, respectively, in 2002).

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2003.pdf (63 page pdf file)

See also: 2003 National Survey on Drug Use & Health

http://oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm

See also: Adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/040831nr_teds2002.htm

See also: Puberty and substance use

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/3/e300 (free abstract)

See also: Teen driver's license and substance abuse

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=521101

See also: Teen sex, drugs and suicide risk

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=521152

Family Meals

University of Minnesota researchers report an inverse relationship between family meals and substance use. Overall, 26.8% of adolescents ate 7 or more meals together as a family in the past week (23.1% ate family meals 2 or less times), from a survey of 4,746 Minneapolis/St. Paul adolescents.

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/158/8/792

See also: Grandparents helping to raise kids

http://www.childtrends.org/_pressrelease_page.cfm?LID=D0BA3EF6-AF0B-4A59-8005F07CE38BEA33

Narcotic Abuse

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports 47,594 (40% of 119,000 total mentions) emergency room mentions for narcotic pain medication (Vicodin®, OxyContin® and Percocet®).

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/040727nr_oxycodone.htm

See also: CPYU article about OxyContin

/pageview.asp?pageid=22286

Teens and Magazine Alcohol Ads

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University found that underage girls were exposed to 68% more beer ads in magazines as compared to adult women (29% more for underage boys compared to adult men). Researchers analyzed 6,239 alcohol ads in magazines during 2001-2002.

http://camy.org/press/release.php?ReleaseID=22

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/158/7/629

See also: Teen girl drinking

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0708/p01s01-ussc.html

See also: Teen binge drinking leads to adult health problems

http://www.uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=4972

Teen Steroid Use

Researchers, as reported by WebMD.com, say anabolic steroid use by teen boys is relatively high, while the use of "body-shaping" diet pills was increasingly common among girls. The findings are based upon the results of surveys conducted on 4,100+ Oregon teens. Some of the findings:

· 6% of boys and 3% of girls used steroids

· 26% of students used body-shaping drugs, steroids, or others (10% heavy users)

http://www.endo-society.org/pubrelations/pressReleases/archives/2004/endo-kids-health.cfm or

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/89/100139.htm

See also: CPYU article about Steroids

/pageview.asp?pageid=7763

Teen Smoking

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a decline in the percentage of high school students who are current cigarette smokers (defined as smoking 1 or more cigarettes in the past 30 days), from analysis of data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for the time period, 1991-2003. In 1991, 27.5% of high school students were current smokers. The percentage peaked at 36.4% in 1997 and has declined to 21.9% in 2003.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5323a1.htm

See also: R-rated movie smoking

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/1/149 (free abstract)

See also: Teen girls and movie idol smokers' connection

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=519826

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/7/1239 (free abstract)

See also: Smokers die 10 years early

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=519674

Summer "High" Time

The peak months for teens to first try marijuana are June and July (on average 6,300 per day), according to a report released by the White House Office of National Drug Policy's National Youth Anti-Drug Media campaign.

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press04/060404.html

See also: CPYU "Teen High Times: '420'" article

/pageview_p.asp?PageID=8061

See also: Hair reveals drug use

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=5262688

See also: Tween inhalant abuse rise

http://www.drugfree.org/Templates/Article.asp?ws=PDFA&vol=1&grp=NewsCenter&cat=News+Releases&top=2004&tit=More+Pre%2DTeens+Abusing+Inhalants+

See also: Teens abusing muscle-relaxant prescription drug, Soma

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/02/eveningnews/main620742.shtml

See also: "Teens use 'legal' cold medicine to get high"

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0601/p03s01-ussc.html

School Feelings and Booze Link

The Gallup Tuesday Briefing found a connection between a teen's feelings about school and the prevalence of alcohol consumption from a study of 785 13-17 year old teens conducted between January and March 2004. Teens that drink alcohol were less likely to report feeling "happy" in school, compared to non-drinkers (19% and 36%, respectively). Also, 63% of teens who consume alcohol report feeling "bored" in school, compared to 45% for non-drinkers.

http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=11893 (fee to access)

See also: Teen access to online booze

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040610/6274401s.htm

See also: Alcohol abuse and dependence stats

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2004/niaaa-10.htm

See also: Date rape drug spiked drinks "Down-Under"

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,571298,00.html

Teen Smoking

The Gallup Tuesday Briefing reports that 9% of teens (1% of 13-15 year-olds and 19% of 16-17 year-olds) have smoked a cigarette in the past 7 days, from a survey of 785 13-17 year old teens in early 2004.

See also: Flavored cigarette concern

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/20/flavored_
cigarettes_raise_concerns

See also: 22.5% of U.S. adults are current smokers

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5320a2.htm

See also: First exposure to nicotine may change adolescents' brains and behavior

http://today.uci.edu/news/release_detail.asp?key=1153

Movies and Alcohol Consumption Link

Dartmouth Medical School researchers, as reported by the Associated Press, found a link between movie viewing and real life alcohol consumption among young teens. Middle school students who watched lots of movie scenes where alcohol was consumed were more likely (3+ times) to try drinking.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SUBSTANCE_ABUSE or

http://www.vnews.com/05242004/1773352.htm

See also: Movie viewing "R-card" controversy

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0524/p12s02-lifp.htm

See also: Alcohol industry "responsibility" ads plummet

http://camy.org/press/release.php?ReleaseID=21

Steroid Perceptions

According to the results of an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on 3,698 U.S. adults online in March 2004, 94% say at least some Major League Baseball players use steroids or performance enhancing drugs.

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=463

See also: Controlling school steroid use

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=518706

See also: CPYU "News & Views" article about steroids and teens

/pageview.asp?pageid=7763

College Smoking

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin found that 90% of college students who smoked daily were still smoking at the end of a four year study of 548 college students.

http://www.news.wisc.edu/9676.html

Marijuana and Teens

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reports a 48% increase in marijuana-related Emergency Room visits between 1999 and 2002 (from 12,730 to 18,845) from its report, Non-Medical Marijuana II: Rite of Passage or Russian Roulette? Also, the percentage of youth under the age of 18 who were admitted for marijuana treatment jumped to 62.6% in 2001 from 25.9% in 1992.

http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.asp?articleid=358&zoneid=56

http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/Marijuana_Paper_on_Letterhead.pdf (45 page pdf file)

See also: Marijuana use disorder study

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/17/2114 (free abstract, fee to access)

See also: "Perc-A-Pops" abuse

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-04-28-narcotic-lollipop_x.htm

See also: "National Drug Threat Assessment 2004"

http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs8/8731/

TV Alcohol Ads

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University reports that television alcohol ads increased 38.5% between 2001 and 2002 (from 208,909 to 289,381) and total alcohol ad spending rose 22.1% over the same period (from $811 million to $990 million). Also, teens, on a per capita basis, were more likely to be exposed to alcohol ads compared to adults. Other key findings:

· 90% of 12-20 year old youth saw 280+ alcohol ads, on average, in 2002; 50% saw 507 ads; 32% saw 780 ads.

· The Comedy Channel and VH-1 were the two highest cable networks for exposure to alcohol ads by youth
http://camy.org/research/tv0404/

Teen Substance Use

The Gallup Tuesday Briefing surveyed 785 13-17 year old teens between January 22 and March 9, 2004 about their use of alcohol and marijuana. Overall, 20% of teens have tried marijuana (28% of boys and 12% of girls; 32% of 16-17 year-olds and 12% of 13-15 year-olds) and 27% of teens drink alcohol (37% for 16-17 year-olds and 20% for 13-15 year-olds).

http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=11236 (fee to access)

See also: Underage drinking decline

http://www.beerinstitute.org/pdfs/SoP0204.pdf (23 page pdf file)

See also: Test kit for detecting rape drugs in drinks

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3603119.stm

Teen Inhalant Use

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America says 2.6 million 12-17 year old youth have used inhalants from analysis of a survey conducted on 8,410 6^th-12^th grade students in 2003. In 2003, 26% of sixth and eighth grade students said they had tried inhalants, up from 18% and 22%, respectively, in 2001.

http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/acrobat/Inhalants%20mini%20report%202003.pdf (5 page pdf file)

http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/Templates/Article.asp?ws=PDFA&vol=1&grp=Parents%2FCaregivers&cat=Feature+Stories&top=Articles&tit=Teen+Inhalant+Use+Rising+Again

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/040311ma_inhalants.htm

See also: Listening parents and drug prevention

http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/04/0318teens.html

See also: Popular club drug Ecstasy TV report

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Primetime/ecstasy_040401.html

Extreme Drinking

Researchers from the Prevention Research Center, as reported by PRNewswire, found that heavy drinking among college students is predictable from a survey of 3,000 California college students. According to survey results, male college drinkers may have 12 or more alcoholic drinks 20% of the times they drink alcohol. Freshman males are the heaviest drinkers and the beginning of the school year is the time of the heaviest drinking.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-25-2004/0002134985&EDATE=

See also: U.S. binge drinking estimates

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/4/663

See also: "Drunk and naked in Cancun" (spring break)

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040331/6064712s.htm

"Sense of Self" and Substance Use

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) in conjunction with Liberty Mutual Group released the results of the Teens Today 2003 survey, conducted by RoperASW on 2,753 middle and high school students from 46 U.S. schools between May and June, 2003. Some of the findings:

· High "Sense of Self" teens say their parents respect them and are close to them (93% and 85%, respectively), compared to low "Sense of Self" teens (8% and 12%, respectively).

· Parents who provide a strong sense of guidance help to minimize the percentage of high school students who use drugs and alcohol (30% and 47%, respectively), as compared to parents who do not provide strong guidance (48% and 80%, respectively).
http://www.saddonline.com/teenstoday.htm#nationalstudy

Home Drug Tests

USA Today reports on the growing proliferation of home drug tests used by parents to detect whether their children are using drugs.

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040301/5966253s.htm

See also: Drug related deaths in 34 U.S. cities

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/acf20d.htm

Teen Nicotine Patch Access

Researchers report in the March 2004 edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine that teens have easy access to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. In the study of 165 Memphis, Tennessee stores, minors were able to buy NRT's 81% of the time, and 79% of the minors were never asked about their age.

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/158/3/212

See also: Smoking and blindness link

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97657.htm

See also: Smoking and PG-13 movies

http://www.americanlegacy.org/americanlegacy/skins/alf/display.aspx?CategoryID=907e9b8f-9978-476c-bcb2-a518dbd3c464&ObjectID=db64ed1b-d143-44f9-9c0c-d322fd3c8740&Action=display_user_object&Mode=user&ModuleID=ad3a024a-b2d6-4593-874f-9b66136bc614

See also: Kool cigarette flavors criticized

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,569815,00.html

"Andro" Warning

The Department of Health and Human Services is attempting to stop the sale of products containing the steroid-like ingredient androstenedione ("andro") because of health concerns.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/hhs_031104.html

See also: Steroids and pro wrestling

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040312/6000332s.htm

Alluring Alcohol Web Sites

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth reports that 13.1% (683,588) of multiple page viewing visits to alcohol Web sites were by underage youth, from analysis of data collected from 55 alcohol Web sites between July and December 2003 by comScore Media Metrix. The two highest percentage sites for underage youth were bacardi.com (58.6%) and skyy.com (47.4%). Budlight.com and budweiser.com were the top sites in total underage visits with 104,590 and 94,217, respectively.

http://camy.org/press/release.php?ReleaseID=19

See also: College binge drinking

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/Healthology/binge_drinking_
healthday_040312.html

See also: Alcohol related Emergency room visits

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/5/531 (free abstract)

Ecstasy Use Down

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America released the results of its 2003 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study conducted on 7,270 adolescents, which reveals a 25% drop in teens who have tried the club drug Ecstasy between 2001 and 2003, from 12% to 9%, respectively.

http://drugfreeamerica.org/Templates/pats_2003_teens.asp?

See also: Herbal Ecstasy, "Green Hornet", warning

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2004/NEW01026.html

See also: Prescription drug abuse study

http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/you_ve_got_drugs.pdf (22 page pdf file)

Alcohol Consumption

The National Center for Health Statistics reveals that 60% of U.S. adults drink alcohol, while approximately 25% are lifetime non-drinkers.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/04facts/healthbehaviors.htm

See also: Teens seek out alcohol advice online

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3485271.stm

See also: Vaporized alcohol drinks

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/thisweek/story/0,12977,1150828,00.html

Race/Ethnic Youth Smoking

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on smoking prevalence among 12-17 year-old youth in various race/ethnic groups. The CDC analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which was conducted on 74,318 youth between 1999 and 2001. Some of the findings:

o 16.0% of white youth smoked during preceding month (14.9% male and 17.2% female)

o 7.0% of black youth smoked (8.2% male and 5.9% female)

o 10.8% of Hispanic youth smoked (11.4% male and 10.2% female)

o 8.1% of Asian youth smoked (8.8% male and 7.3% female)

o 27.9% of American Indian/Alaska Native youth smoked (29.5% male and 26.3% female) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5303a2.htm
See also: According to a Gallup survey of 1,007 U.S. adults conducted in November 2003, 26% of adults smoked a cigarette in the past week.
http://www.gallup.com/content/default.asp?ci=10762 (fee to access)
See also: Smoking in movies between 1950 and 2002 http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/2/261 (free abstract, fee for article)

Sub/Urban Substance Use

The Manhattan Institute's Education Research Office compares the reported prevalence rates of substance use and sexual activity among suburban and urban students from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health survey data. Some of the key findings:

· 62% of suburban and 54% of urban 12^th graders have smoked cigarettes (37% and 30%, respectively, smoked regularly)

· 74% of suburban and 71% of urban 12^th graders have drunk alcohol 2 or more times (63% and 58%, respectively, drank alcohol without a family member being present).

· 22% of suburban and 16% of urban 12^th graders drove drunk

· 42% of suburban and 45% of urban 12^th graders have used illegal drugs http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_04.htm

High School Athlete Tobacco Use

According to the results of a survey of 16,357, 9^th-12^th graders, appearing the in the American Journal of Health Behavior as reported by Join Together Online, researchers found that high school athletes smoked cigarettes less compared to non-athletes (28% and 34%, respectively), but used chewing tobacco and snuff more.

http://www.ajhb.org/2004/1/JanFeb0704Castrucci.pdf and

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,568986,00.html

See also: Smoking and reproductive life

http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/SmokingReproductiveLife

Parental Alcohol Problems

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released the results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which found that nearly 5 million adults in 2002, who had at least one child under the age of 18, were dependent on, or abusing, alcohol (62% of fathers and 38% of mothers). Those adults reporting past year alcohol dependence or abuse were also more likely to smoke cigarettes (57.9%) and use illicit drugs (35.5%) compared to those who were not dependent on or abusing alcohol (30.6% and 11.0%, respectively).

http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k4/ACOA/ACOA.cfm

See also: Drinking drivers and child deaths

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5304a2.htm

See also: Tests detect drinking

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4337523

See also: Alcohol flavored snacks protested

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,568934,00.html

See also: College alcohol linked to rape

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/rapeintox-pressRelease/

Nicotine and Snuff

From research appearing in the in the December 2003 issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research, as reported by Reuters, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the 3 largest selling brands of smokeless tobacco (Kodiak, Skoal and Copenhagen) contain high levels of the most easily absorbed form of "free-base" nicotine.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4033212

See also: Second-hand lung cancer risk

http://drkoop.com/template.asp?page=newsdetail&ap=93&id=516481

See also: Teen smoking down

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pressreleases/03cigpr.pdf (5 page pdf file)

See also: Youth targeted Shag cigarettes in UK

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,568538,00.html

Youth Substance Use

The 2003 Monitoring the Future youth substance abuse survey, conducted on 48,467 students in 8^th, 10^th and 12^th grades, reveals an overall decline in drug use. Current drug use was down 11% between 2001 and 2003 (19.4% and 17.3%, respectively).

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031219a.html

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

See also: Teens and non-prescription cough medication abuse

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20031229/5794479s.htm or

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/79/96081.htm?

See also: Alcohol-related traffic deaths report

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/press/pressdisplay.cfm?year=2003&filename=pr54-03.html

See also: Working teens more likely to drink heavily

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-07-2004/0002084970&EDATE=

See also: Eating disorders and substance abuse connection

http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.asp?articleid=350&zoneid=46

http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/food_for_thought_12_03.pdf (83 page pdf file)

Steroids and Sports

A New York Times poll, conducted on 1,057 U.S. adults in December 2003, reveals public perception about the prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. 55% of adults under the age of 30 believe at least half of pro athletes use steroids (40% for 30+ years-old adults). 41% of adults under the age of 30 are not concerned at all about pro athletes using steroids (34% for 30+ year-old adults).

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/16/sports/othersports/16STER.html (fee to access)

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,568236,00.html

See also: Diet supplement drug Ephedra banned

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20031230.html

Youth Substance Abuse Treatment

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that adolescent (12-17 years old) substance abuse treatment admissions rose to 141,403 in 2001 from 95,000 in 1992. 23% of the 49% increase was due to marijuana abuse.

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/040129nr_TEDS2001.htm

See also: "Drinking, drug abuse continues into middle age"

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=516870

2003 Monitoring the Future Survey - of teen drug use

This is one of the most important and comprehensive studies on the usage of a variety of drugs and tobacco by teens.

Ecstasy use falls for the second year in a row, overall teen drug use drops

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pressreleases/03drugpr.pdf

Teen smoking continues to decline in 2003, but declines are slowing

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pressreleases/03cigpr.pdf

Full report and charts

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/03data.html#2003data-drugs

Underage Cigarette Sales Enforcement

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports overall improvement in retailer compliance to block cigarette sales to youth under 18. Overall, the violation rate for retailers dropped to 14.1% in 2002 from 16.3% in 2001 and 40.1% in 1996.

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/031210nr_synar.htm

See also: Youth still exposed to pro-tobacco marketing

http://www.americanlegacy.org/americanlegacy/skins/alf/display.aspx?CategoryID=907e9b8f-9978-476c-bcb2-a518dbd3c464&ObjectID=797b563d-e51e-4311-af64-fb7d14b36cde&Action=display_user_object&Mode=user&
ModuleID=ad3a024a-b2d6-4593-874f-9b66136bc614

See also: Smoking during pregnancy linked to adult smoking

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3933718

Ecstasy Overheating

Researchers from Ohio Northern University, as reported by CBSnews.com, found a protein related to the hyperthermia associated with overdoses of Ecstasy.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/26/health/main585772.shtml

Underage Alcohol Marketing

Alcohol makers, as reported by Adage.com, have been sued for marketing alcoholic beverages to underage youth.

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=39277

See also: Sweet tooth linked to alcoholism

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/77/90363.htm?

See also: Low levels of alcohol impairs brain function

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=516032

Legalizing Marijuana?

The Gallup Tuesday Briefing interviewed 533 U.S. adults in November 2003 about their attitudes toward legalizing marijuana. Overall, 64% of adults say marijuana should not be legalized. 14% of adults who attend church weekly say marijuana should be legal, compared to 51% of adults who attend church "seldom/never".

http://www.gallup.com/poll/tb/religvalue/20031202.asp (fee to access)

See also: "High Times magazine trying to shed pot image"

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,567689,00.html

Teens Smoking Less

According to the results of the 2002 National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted on 26,119 middle and high school students at 246 nationwide schools. Some key findings:

· 10.1% of middle school students smoke cigarettes, down from 11.0% in 2000

· 22.9% of high school students smoke cigarettes, down from 28.0% in 2000

· 5.6% of middle school boys use smokeless tobacco, down from 5.7% in 2000

· 10.8% of high school boys use smokeless tobacco, down from 11.8% in 2000

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5245a2.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20031113_2359.html

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SMOKING_STUDENTS?

See also: "Teens using nicotine replacement while smoking"

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,567645,00.html

See also: Tobacco ads removed from magazines sent to schools

http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-bztob113536656nov11,0,7256217.story

PG-13 Movie Beer Promotion

The Marin Institute, as reported by Adage.com, has protested the use of the busty Coors twins in the PG-13 rated Scary Movie 3.

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=39081

See also: Washington Post article about teens and PG-13 movies

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27782-2003Nov11.html

See also: Promoting alcohol-free college sports TV

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3809307 or

http://www.cspinet.org/new/200311121.html

Complacent Parents and Ecstasy

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America released its 2003 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study conducted on 1,228 U.S. parents. 92% of parents have heard about Ecstasy, but 41% of parents have not talked to their kids about Ecstasy.

http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/Templates/pats_2003.asp?ws=PDFA&vol=1&grp=NewsCenter&cat=National+Surveys&top=PATS
+Study+2003+%2D+Parents&tit=Survey%3A+Majority+of+Parents+Not+Responding+to+Ecstasy+Threat

See also: US Food and Drug Administration bans latest performance enhancing steroid, THG.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00967.html

See also: Time magazine cover story, "Are we giving kids too many drugs?"

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031103/story.html

Teen Smoking and Pot Link
A new report by the American Legacy Foundation and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University cites the "gateway" effect of smoking on marijuana use. According to the results of the survey conducted on 1,987, 12-17 year old youth between April 30 and July 14, 2003, 57% of teens who have tried marijuana started with cigarettes first. Other key findings:

o Smoking youth are 14 times more likely to try marijuana compared to youth who do not smoke cigarettes (84% and 6%, respectively)

o Smoking youth are 18 times more likely to say most of their friends smoke marijuana

http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsletter1457/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=193264

See also: Cigarette addiction and first cigarette

http://www.medicinedirect.com/journal/journal/article?acronym=AMEPRE&format=abstract&uid=PIIS0749379703001983 (free abstract)

See also: "How deadly is pot?"

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=515211

Family Dinners and Substance Abuse

According to the results of a Family Day survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, teens who have family dinners 5 or more nights per week are less likely to try cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana.

http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsletter1457/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=192316

See also: Effectiveness of Anti-Drug media campaign

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press03/092403.html

Drugged Driving

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports, from the results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted on 68,000 in 2002, that nearly 11 million people (12 years and older) drove under the influence of illegal drugs in 2002. The breakdown by age: 7.0% of 16 year old, 13.3% of 17 year olds, 15.0% of 18 year olds, 16.3% of 19 and 20 year olds, and 18.0% of 21 year olds (peak percentage) reported driving drugged.

http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k3/DrugDriving/DrugDriving.cfm

Ecstasy Use Surging

The U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, as reported by Reuters, estimates that 40+ million people worldwide have taken synthetic drugs in the past year. Ecstasy use rose 70% between 1995 and 2001, while amphetamine use jumped 40% over the same period.

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/press_release_2003-09-23_1.html and

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3493511

See also: Pharming, new teen drug craze

http://www.msnbc.com/news/970065.asp

See also: Ecstasy alone is enough to kill

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/74/89191.htm?

Teen Cigarette Internet Access

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that four, adult supervised, adolescents (ages 11 to 15) purchased 1,650 packs of cigarettes over the Internet.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/290/10/1356 (free abstract)

See also: Five million killed by smoking in 2000

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3430578

Underage Drinking

The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released its "Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility" study, which estimates that underage drinking contributes to $53 billion in losses per year.

http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309089352?OpenDocument

http://www.nap.edu/books/0309089352/html/ (read full report)

See also: Early drinking linked to violence

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3090244.stm

See also: "Cheap beer leads to college binges"

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=515065

See also: Alcopop (flavored malt beverage) advertising not targeting underage consumers

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/09/alcohol.htm

Teen Drug Use

According to Pride Surveys, from the results of a survey of 109,919 students conducted during the 2002-2003 school year, 24.3% of students reported annual use of illicit drugs (15.7% junior high, 32.8% senior high), 50.0% consumed alcohol (36.8% junior high, 62.9% senior high), and 27.1% smoked cigarettes (19.5% junior high, 34.6% senior high). Specifically, 21.1% used marijuana, 5.8% used inhalants, 4.9% used Ecstasy, 4.7% used cocaine, 4.2% used OxyContin, and 3.1% used steroids.

http://www.pridesurveys.com/main/media.html

http://www.pridesurveys.com/main/supportfiles/ns0203.pdf (full 299 page pdf file report)

Substance Abuse Stats

The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reveals that 22 million Americans suffer from substance dependence or abuse. The survey was conducted on 68,126 respondents. Other key findings:

· 14.6 million Americans use marijuana; 4.8 million used it 20 or more days in the past month

· 20.6% of 12-17 year old youth have tried marijuana, down from 21.9% in 2001

· 11.6% of 12-17 year old youth currently use illicit drugs

· 11.2% of 12-17 year old youth reported non-medical pain reliever use

· Lifetime drug use rates for 12-17 year olds increased for inhalants (10.5% in 2002 and 9% in 2001), Ecstasy (3.3% in 2002 and 3.2% in 2001), and cocaine (2.7% in 2002 and 2.3% in 2001).
http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/ACFCD10.htm
See also: "From age 12 to 17, family dinners decline as teen substance abuse risk rises"
http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsletter1457/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=192316

Teen Alcohol Access

Nearly two thirds (65%) of youth drinkers report the source of their alcohol as family and friends, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Century Council, as reported by HealthDay, on 1,000+, 10-18 year old youth and 1,600 parents. The incidence of drinking increased with age as 1% of 10-12 year olds, 23% of 13-15 year olds and 35% of 16-18 year olds reported drinking alcohol.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/hsn/20030823/hl_hsn/underagekidsdontgofartogetalcohol

See also: Genetics and college binge drinking link

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/press/2003/college.htm

Stressed, Bored and "Loaded" Teens

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University released the findings of its 8^th annual back to school survey of 1,987, 12 to 17 year old youth conducted between March and June 2003. Teens who are stressed, bored, or have $25+ of spending money are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and use illegal drugs. Also, 20% (5+ million) 12-17 year old youth can buy marijuana in an hour or less, while another 19% (5 million) can buy it within a day.

http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsletter1457/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=191037

http://www.casacolumbia.org/usr_doc/2003_Teen_Survey.pdf (69 page pdf file)

Drug Related Emergency Room Visits

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, from analysis of its 2002 DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network) survey, 7 out of every 10 drug abuse related hospital emergency room visits (670,307 in 2002) were for alcohol in combination with another drug (cocaine, marijuana, heroin, anti-anxiety drugs, and narcotic pain killers).

http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/030826nr_DAWN.htm

Declining Teen Smoking

Over the past 20 years teen smoking is down sharply according to research appearing in the August 2003 issue of Health Psychology, as reported by WebMD.com. Researchers compared the results of 2 surveys conducted in 1980 and 2001on 7^th to 11^th grade students at the same Midwestern school (3,500 and 3,200, respectively). The percentage of students who have never smoked rose to 66% in 2001 from 45% in 1980. Regular teen smokers dropped to 11% from 15%.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/72/81852.htm?

See also: Appealing to Hollywood to reduce movie smoking

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/08/27/films.smoking.ap/index.html

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