Pubdate: Wed, 25 Feb 2004
Source: Newsday (NY)
Copyright: 2004 Newsday Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308
Author: Larry McSHANE
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

SURVEY: ECSTASY USE DOWN 25 PERCENT AMONG TEENS

NEW YORK (AP) -- The use of Ecstasy among teenagers dropped 25 percent in 
the last two years, a decrease that translates into an additional 770,000 
teens rejecting the once-trendy drug, a new study says.

The study released Wednesday by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America 
also indicated declines overall in teen drug use, marked by decreases in 
the number of teenagers using marijuana, LSD and methamphetamine, the 
survey indicated.

According to the partnership's 16th annual survey, the percentage of teens 
using Ecstasy was at 9 percent for 2003 _ a significant decline from the 12 
percent figure of 2001, when use of the drug hit its peak.

But Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the partnership, warned that the 
Ecstasy decrease did not mean the drug no longer posed a problem.

"The Ecstasy threat remains: Last year, 2 million teenagers in America had 
tried this drug," Pasierb said. "We can _ and we must _ kick Ecstasy while 
it's down, and kick it down further."

The figures on Ecstasy use mirrored the findings of a University of 
Michigan study released in December, which also reported that drug use 
among junior- and senior-high school students was on a two-year decline.

The Partnership said an increase in anti-drug attitudes was responsible for 
the change.

Overall, the number of teens who reported trying any illegal drug was at 46 
percent for 2003, down from 51 percent in 1998. Methamphetamine use was 
reduced 33 percent since 1998, although certain geographic regions _ the 
midwest and southwest _ remained more popular outposts for the drug.

LSD use among teenagers was down 42 percent over the last five years, the 
survey found. Tobacco use was down, as well as underage drinking _ although 
half of all teens reported drinking alcohol in the last year, according to 
the survey.

The survey did find several areas of concern among teens, particularly in 
the use of inhalants (where there was an uptick in use) and the misuse of 
prescription drugs. In the year of Rush Limbaugh and his Oxycontin woes, 
one in every five teens reported using a prescription drug without a 
doctor's order.

The study was conducted among 7,270 adolescents nationwide, with a margin 
of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Data was collected from 
April through June of 2003 from questionnaires that students filled out 
anonymously.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, launched in 1987, is a coalition 
of communications professionals aimed at reducing the demand for illegal drugs.

___P)

On the Net:

Partnership for Drug Free America: www.drugfreeamerica.org
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom