|
Results
from the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey indicate
an almost 7-percent decline of any illicit drug use in
the past month by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders combined
from 2003 to 2004. Trend analysis from 2001 to 2004 revealed
a 17-percent cumulative decline in drug use and an 18-percent
cumulative drop in marijuana past-month use.
"The new Monitoring the Future survey results
are a clear indication that our efforts in substance
abuse prevention are paying off. The Nation has surpassed
the 2-year goal set by President Bush's National Drug
Control Strategy," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles
G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W. "And we are well on our
way to addressing the 5-year goal." The President
set a national goal of reducing youth drug use by 10
percent within 2 years. The 5-year goal sets the mark
for a 25-percent reduction in current use of illegal
drugs by this age group.
The MTF survey is designed to measure drug, alcohol,
and cigarette use and related attitudes among 8th-, 10th-,
and 12th-grade students nationwide. In 2004, 49,474 students
from 406 public and private schools participated in the
survey, which is overseen by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health
and conducted by the University of Michigan. Survey participants
report their drug use behaviors across three time periods:
lifetime, past year, and past month.
Just as drug use among teens is dropping, more teens
are refraining from cigarette smoking as well. In 2004,
lifetime cigarette smoking decreased in 10th graders,
following declines in lifetime use in all grades from
2002 to 2003. The survey results also showed evidence
of a decrease in heavier smoking among 10th graders,
with a significant decline in the smoking of a pack of
cigarettes or more per day.
Back to Top
Inhalants and Painkillers Still Pose a Threat
Survey results show that lifetime inhalant use for
8th graders increased significantly. Inhalants are easily
accessible in the form of household and office products.
Commonly abused inhalants include glue, shoe polish,
and gasoline.
"We are concerned about the increasing number
of 8th graders using inhalants," said NIDA Director
Nora D. Volkow, M.D. "Research has found that even
a single session of repeated inhalant abuse can disrupt
heart rhythms and cause death from cardiac arrest or
lower oxygen levels enough to cause suffocation. Regular
abuse of these substances can result in serious harm
to vital organs including the brain, heart, kidneys,
and liver," Dr. Volkow said.
Painkillers, including Vicodin and OxyContin, are of
concern, too. While the rates of Vicodin abuse did not
change significantly from 2003 to 2004, Vicodin was used
by 9.3 percent of 12th graders, 6.2 percent of 10th graders,
and 2.5 percent of 8th graders in the past year. OxyContin
was used in the past year by 5 percent of 12th graders,
3.5 percent of 10th graders, and 1.7 percent of 8th graders
in 2004. These rates were not significantly different
from the rates in 2003; however, with all three grades
combined, the survey shows a significant increase in
past-year OxyContin use between 2002 and 2004.
For further information about the 2004 MTF survey,
visit www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/MTF.html. 
« See Also—Previous Article
See Also—Next Article »
Back to Top
|
