THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608110101
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: TORONTO LENGTH: 25 lines
Illicit drug use in the military has plunged nearly 90 percent since 1980, thanks to a get-tough policy and declining drug use in American society, a study says.
Cigarette smoking has dropped by one-third in the same period, the report says. The rate of heavy drinking showed a smaller drop, which was attributed to changes in military demographics.
The report tracked trends from six worldwide surveys of American military personnel, each including about 15,000 to 22,000 participants who answered confidential questionnaires. The surveys, sponsored by the Defense Department, covered the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines. (The Coast Guard is not part of that department.)
Results were reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association by psychologist Robert Bray of the Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
KEYWORDS: U.S. MILITARY STATISTICS by CNB