THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 16, 1995 TAG: 9512160296
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
The number of American teenagers using illicit drugs increased again last year for the fourth consecutive year with fewer young people even worried about the dangers of substance abuse, according to an annual survey released Friday.
More secondary school students are using marijuana, LSD, hallucinogens, amphetamines, stimulants and inhalants every year, with the levels doubling in several categories since the start of the decade, according to the survey by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Alcohol remained the most popular drug with teenagers, and cigarette use was on the rise.
In recent years ``we have sounded alarm bells about rising levels of substance abuse by American teenagers,'' said Donna Shalala, secretary of Health and Human Services at a press conference to mark release of the survey. ``Today, I want to ring that alarm bell faster and louder and send a message to every parent in this country. Your children are at risk.''
Several other recent reports have similarly concluded that drug use among teenagers is steadily increasing in the 1990s following a decline in the 1980s.
KEYWORDS: SURVEY DRUGS ILLEGAL by CNB