Pubdate: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 Source: Evening Tribune, The (NY) Copyright: 2011 GateHouse Media, Inc. Contact: http://www.eveningtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4473 Author: Al Bruce, The Evening Tribune DRUG, ALCOHOL USE BY STEUBEN YOUTH RISING Presentation to Canisteo-Greenwood School Board Canisteo, N.Y. - Drug and alcohol use among Steuben County sixth-,eighth- and tenth-grade students has increased in the past two years, according to a survey of more than 3,100 pupils from all 13 county school districts. Most study results revealed county student substance use higher than the national average. Norm McCumiskey, Steuben County drug-free communities coordinator, presented survey findings Monday night to the Canisteo-Greenwood board of education, the first board in Steuben County to hear the presentation. The survey explored what students think about, called "perceptions of norms" in psychological research; attitudes; behavior; peer behavior, and substance abuse prevalence, he said. One of the most disturbing results from the survey was binge drinking, defined as more than five drinks at one sitting, McCumiskey said. Of the sixth graders, 1.7 percent consumed at least five drinks in one sitting within the past 30 days as did 8.2 percent of eighth graders and 19.5 percent of tenth-grade students, the county coordinator said. Students who said they used alcohol in the past 30 days totaled 2.8 percent of sixth grade students, 15.5 percent of eighth graders and 31 percent of tenth graders, McCumiskey said. Minimum age to drink alcohol in New York state is 21 years. Student use of marijuana was also "slightly above" the national average, McComiskey said, and student usage in Steuben County has "doubled" in the past 10 years. A total of 2.3 percent of sixth graders, 14.2 percent of eighth graders and 32.1 percent of tenth graders said they have used marijuana, the survey reported. Student cigarette use in the past 30 days was a reported 1.9 percent of sixth-grade students, 11.5 percent of eighth graders and 20.4 percent of tenth graders, McCumiskey said, quoting the survey. The use of marijuana has almost "caught up" with cigarette use among tenth graders from 2008 to 2010, the survey showed. Alcohol use among tenth graders "was down slightly (from 2008) except for binge drinking," which increased, McCumiskey told Canisteo-Greenwood board members. "Alcohol is clearly the overwhelming drug of choice" among middle-school and high-school pupils taking the survey, McCumiskey said. In addition to the rising exploitation of marijuana among Steuben County students, "students increasingly think marijuana use isn't a problem," despite contrary scientific evidence, McCumiskey said: Increased use of medical marijuana and the lack of public debate helps foster that lack of concern among students. School Board President Michael L. Nisbet expressed "shock" at the statistics. "People naively think there is no increase in drug abuse. But obviously we have major problems," he said. Canisteo High School principal Michael Wright said he sees "kids coming into high school from the eighth grade with more (behavioral) problems" from drug use. Drug abuse coalitions across New York state are working with state lawmakers to introduce legislation during the next session, McCumiskey said. Increased use of LSD, cocaine, crack and "uppers" has almost doubled among tenth graders during the past two years, the survey reports. Students "are obviously experimenting" with stronger drugs, McCumiskey said. He added student focus groups reported youth "are raiding family" medicine cabinets, although the survey didn't ask any questions about that issue. "The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calls teen substance use America's number one health problem," the former Hornell High School educator said. He said scientific evidence shows marijuana use "negatively effects motivation, memory and learning. Youth with average grades of D or below were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana than those with average grades of A." "Employability is a concern" for marijuana users, he said. "Six percent of high school seniors nationwide smoke marijuana every day, rendering them virtually unemployable," he said. In Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties "employers are reporting that 30 to 50 percent of job seekers cannot pass mandatory drug testing at hire," he said: That negatively impacts "our area's ability to find a skilled workforce to compete in the marketplace." Marijuana use is also a public safety concern, McCumiskey said. Marijuana "is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally-injured drivers and motor vehicle crash victims," he said. Twenty percent of vehicle crashes "in the U.S. are caused by drugged driving, resulting in 8,600 deaths, 580,000 injuries and $33 billion in damages each year," Workforce New York said in the survey. "A recent roadside study of weekend nighttime drivers showed that 8.6 percent tested positive for marijuana (use), nearly four times the percentage with blood alcohol contents of .08 or more," he said. "Marijuana accounts for the largest percentage of admissions among youth receiving substance abuse treatment," he said. The 3,151 students surveyed included 367 Canisteo-Greenwood students, the most from any school; the least, 49, were from Bradford. Second highest participating district was Hornell with 337 participating students. Steuben County Sheriff Joel Ordway noted that "prescription drugs are readily available; kids can just grab a handful" from family members. Students need to realize that "Oxycontin is like crack cocaine," he said: Frequent use of that drug means "there goes college and a professional career." He added "marijuana is cheap" and easy to obtain. Jim Bassage, Steuben County drug abuse prevention director, said his office will meet with all Steuben County boards of education to start educating "parents and community members" about the prevalence of drug abuse problems. The increasing number of two-parent working families and working single-parent households means "kids can experiment (with drugs) between 4 and 7 p.m." daily, Bassage said. Some adults "seek relief" through drugs because of the foul economy, he said, and become substance abusing role models for youth. Steuben County activities during the 2011-2012 school year will include a health educator conference and training for school nurses, guidance counselors and administrators, McCumiskey said. Evalumetrics Research of Canandaigua conducted the survey, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.