Pubdate: Thu, 05 Sep 2002
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Copyright: 2002 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc.
Contact:  http://www.starnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210
Author: Barb Berggoetz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?158 (Club Drugs)

YOUTH DRUG USE FALLS, BUT NEW WOES EMERGE

Survey Finds That More Hoosier Students Are Trying 'Club Drugs' As They 
Reach Late Teens.

While most illicit drug use by Indiana youths continued to decline, a 2002 
statewide student survey confirmed the disturbing emergence of "club drugs" 
among some young teens.

Use of these drugs -- including Ecstasy, GHB and Rohypnol -- is minimal 
among middle school students, but it grows slightly as students go through 
high school, reports the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana 
University in its 12th annual survey.

"It's very scary to me," said Lisa Hutcheson, project director for the 
Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking. "We have enough to worry 
about with drugs and alcohol."

Nearly 80,000 students in sixth through 12th grades attending 269 schools 
were surveyed. The Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction funded 
the report.

Less than 1 percent of middle-school students reported using Rohypnol and 
GHB, commonly known as date-rape drugs, at least once, while 1.5 percent of 
high school students did so.

Use of Ecstasy, a mild hallucinogenic drug, before eighth grade is minimal, 
and at least one-time usage by older youths ranges from 3.4 percent of 
eighth-graders to 9.5 percent by high school seniors. However, about 2 
percent of students in grades 10-12 reported using Ecstasy one or more 
times a month.

IU applied health science professor William Bailey, the center's executive 
director, said these findings suggest Ecstasy use is more common among 
older adolescents nearing college age.

Overall, Bailey says, the survey's results show the decline in illicit drug 
use is not as dramatic as those found five to seven years ago, but the 
decreases are still significant. For example, 33.7 percent of seniors 
reported annual use of marijuana, compared with 36.4 percent last year.

Although use of marijuana and most other illicit drugs has declined during 
the past four years, their rates remain substantially higher than the rates 
reported in 1992.

While youths appear to be experimenting less with alcohol, Bailey said, the 
rates for those who drink regularly did not change. Rates of binge drinking 
- -- five or more drinks at any one time -- did not decrease either.

Among high school seniors, 31.5 percent reported binge drinking, and 6.5 
percent said they drank alcohol daily. Only 1.9 percent of eighth- graders 
said they drank daily, but 15.5 percent reported binge drinking.

An encouraging sign was decreases in tobacco use among nearly all grades, 
although the state is slightly above national averages. About 20 percent of 
seniors and 11.6 percent of ninth-graders reported daily smoking.

The state's increasing enforcement of laws banning tobacco sales to youths 
should continue to reduce smoking and lead to fewer people moving on to 
other drugs, said Mark Pogue, the center's education and training coordinator.

"If we can control youth access to tobacco, we can control illicit drug 
usage in the state."
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager