Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 1, 1994 TAG: 9402010083
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
University of Michigan researchers said they noticed a relaxing of attitudes about the dangers of drugs among eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders in a yearly survey.
"These attitudes and beliefs, specifically the dangers believed to be associated with the use of these drugs . . . play a critical role in deterring use," said Lloyd Johnston, who directed the study. "When they begin to soften, as they did last year, an increase in use can be expected."
He said the issue of drug use "fell off the radar screen" during the previous decade, and "we may have been lulled into a false sense of security."
The study found a 3 or 4 percentage-point rise in the last year or two among students who reported any use of marijuana in the previous 12 months. In 1993, 9 percent of eighth-graders smoked marijuana, 19 percent of 10th-graders, and 26 percent of 12th-graders.
There has been a rise in cigarette smoking, too, after 10 years of fairly steady decline.
After falling from favor in the last 15 years, LSD use has been increasing gradually, and there has been a rise in the use of inhalants such as glues, solvents and aerosols.
"With more young people smoking cigarettes and using marijuana, and with the psychological and social constraints on use declining, the stage is set for a potential resurgence of cocaine and crack use in this population," Johnston told a news conference.
He said that, in general, black students reported the lowest rates of use for virtually all the drugs, legal and illegal, and that this was true for all three grade levels.
"This study also shows us that we have to increase our efforts to convince young people that drugs are dangerous," said Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. "As the perception that marijuana is harmful increases, marijuana use decreases. But now, the perception of harmfulness is going down, and marijuana use is on the rise."
In his State of the Union message last week, President Clinton said the United States must reclaim its streets from violent crime, drugs and gangs.
Education Secretary Richard Riley said Clinton will include a $660 million request for safe and drug-free schools in the budget he presents to Congress next week. The government spent $491.6 million last year.
Republicans on the House Government Operations Committee, however, used the survey results to criticize the administration for "its lack of leadership and inconsistent message about the dangers of drugs."
And William Bennett, who headed the Office of National Drug Control Policy when George Bush was in the White House, called the Clinton administration "nearly invisible on the drug issue." He said "Clinton does not seem up to the task . . . he talks one way and acts another."
The Michigan researchers surveyed 51,000 high school and eighth-grade youths in more than 400 schools.
Eight percent of the eighth-graders, 14 percent of 10th-graders and 19 percent of the 12th-graders said they smoked cigarettes daily - up by 1 to 2 percentage points.
Johnston said that in the past two years, the proportion of eighth-graders using marijuana has increased by half; among high schoolers, the proportion has increased by one-fifth or more.
In 1979, 60 percent of 12-graders had tried marijuana, compared with 35 percent of the class of 1993.
Among other findings:
Sixty-seven percent of eighth-graders, 81 percent of 10th-graders and 87 percent of 12th-graders have tried alcohol.
Fourteen percent of eighth-graders, 23 percent of 10th-graders and 28 percent of 12th-graders admitted to binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row) in the previous two weeks.
Only 53 percent of eighth-graders see a great risk in smoking a pack or more of cigarettes a day. But 70 percent of seniors saw that as a great risk.
by CNB