Pubdate: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 Source: Roanoke Times (VA) Copyright: 2008 Roanoke Times Contact: http://www.roanoke.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/368 Author: Anna L. Mallory Note: First priority is to those letter-writers who live in circulation area. MANY MONTGOMERY STUDENTS DON'T SEE DRUGS AS HEALTH RISK A majority of the 1,791 students surveyed said they "mostly likely" used cigarettes, marijuana or alcohol within a month of a survey given this past fall. CHRISTIANSBURG -- Montgomery County's students believe that alcohol and drugs, particularly marijuana, are not as serious a risk to their health as students nationally, according to a survey administered in the fall. Montgomery County Public Schools had students in grades eight, 10 and 12 complete a national survey called PRIDE that asked questions about their drug use and perceptions about the risks of drugs and alcohol. The idea was to find out what students think about drugs and how often they're using, said Laura Williams, a grant writer for the school system. This was the first time in a decade students had been queried about their use. A majority of the 1,791 students surveyed said they "mostly likely" had smoked cigarettes and marijuana and drank alcohol within a month of the survey, according to a report given to the Montgomery County School Board. High school seniors reported drinking more heavily in the 30 days preceding the survey than those nationally, according to the report. Administrators did not provide a full report of the data compiled through the survey to the board. Sharon Zuckerwar, the system's supervisor of social sciences, said data from individual schools needed to be shared with principals before it could be made public. But of the information provided about the multiple-choice surveys, 33 percent of seniors said smoking marijuana "once or twice" or "regularly" posted a moderate or great health risk. The perception of marijuana as a risky drug does rise the younger students are, with 44 percent of sophomores and 66 percent of eighth-graders reporting regular use as a moderate health risk. Williams told board members at Tuesday's meeting that they shouldn't find the figures alarming because differences with national averages on cigarette and alcohol use were marginal. Nearly 70 percent of Montgomery seniors said that drinking one or two alcoholic beverages daily poses a moderate risk, whereas 65 percent responded similarly nationally. However, the survey showed that high school seniors nationally perceived the risk of marijuana nearly doubly as dangerous as seniors in Montgomery County. "That was an area of concern that we want to look at more fully," Williams said. She and others who examined the survey results in the past week have recommended the school board ramp up its drug education program, particularly in middle schools. Students across the county learn about drug use through fifth-grade D.A.R.E., and other life skills lessons are weaved into health curriculum throughout the years, said Lois Graham, director of elementary schools. Still, older students view those lessons as "out of sight, out of mind," board member Penny Franklin said. That's evident in the results: Students in higher grades said they thought it was easier here to access drugs and alcohol than students nationally. Younger students said it was more difficult. "Most teenagers do know they can get what they want when they want it," said board member Jamie Bond. "We have put so much awareness of cigarettes and alcohol that we have forgotten to put so much on marijuana, and I think kids forget the stress that used to be put on it." The county expects to give the survey, which costs about $3,000, every couple of years and could expand it to include younger grades. The company that creates the survey, International Survey Associates, recommends giving it to students in grades six to 12. "The real information will come in the next couple of years as the program is fine-tuned," Williams said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek