Pubdate: Sat, 18 Dec 1999 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Orange County Register Contact: P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711 Fax: (714) 565-3657 Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Author: SUE SCHULTZ-Cox News Service TEEN-AGERS' DRUG ABUSE IS LEVELING OFF, ANNUAL STUDY FINDS TRENDS: Use of steroids and 'ecstasy' are found to be increasing, however. WASHINGTON- An annual study shows that illicit drug use among the nation's teens is leveling off, health officials said Friday, though use of steroids and the drug "ecstasy" is climbing. "Today's report confirms that we have halted the dangerous trend of increased drug use among our young people," said Donna Shalala, secretary of Health and Human Services. For the 25th year, the University of Michigan asked more than 45,000 eighth-, 10th- and 12th-grade students across the country about whether they used drugs and alcohol each day, over the past year, or in their lifetime. The study found that for a third year in a row, reported use of drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, hallucinogens, tranquilizer or not at all. It found that use of crack cocaine dropped 14 percent among eighth-graders and 27 percent among 10th-graders. One in four 12th-graders, one in five 10th-graders, and nearly one in eight eighth-graders reported using an illicit drug in the past 30 days. Gen. Barry McCaffrey, President Clinton's drug policy director, said that while the nation has made some progress in its campaign against drugs, usage levels remain higher than at the beginning of the decade. Alcohol use among teens also remained stable compared with last year's figures. In 1999, about one in 11 eighth-graders, one in five 10th-graders and one in three 12th-graders reported being drunk during the past month. "One note of alarm," said McCaffrey, "is the rise in the use of steroids among youth." Past-month steroid use among 10th-graders increased almost 50 percent. Lloyd Johnston, the primary researcher for the Michigan survey, suggested that baseball home run champion Mark McGwire's use of a steroid - which he has since discontinued - may have affected notions about steroids among young boys. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck