NO CLEAR ANSWER FOR RISE IN TEEN DRUG USE

Washington County health and community officials say they don't know why
drug and alcohol use was up last year among sophomores and seniors who
participated in an adolescent survey, and say it's going to take a team
effort to stop the trend.

"I don't believe there's a clear answer," said John Budesky, executive
director of Washington County Community Partnership for Children and
Families. "I wish I had the answers, because then we would be solving these
problems."

Budesky said past statistics show drug use has gone up among county
teenagers over the last 10 years.

"We're not sure why these figure have gone up," said Andrea Harris,
prevention coordinator with the Washington County Health Department.

Budesky and Harris said the Washington County Board of Education and
community members will have to work together to curb drug and alcohol use
among teens.

The 2001 Maryland Adolescent Survey, released Tuesday, indicates a higher
percentage of students who completed the survey took drugs and drank
alcohol than those who responded to the last survey.

The survey results indicate Washington County sophomores and seniors ranked
above state averages in the use of Ecstasy, marijuana, crack, cocaine and LSD.

The survey is given every two years by the Maryland State Department of
Education, which says the results enable local school systems and the state
board to make generalizations about drug and alcohol usage patterns.

"I don't see it as a big problem," said Alaina Rowe, a South Hagerstown
High School student and representative on the School Board.

Rowe said she doesn't know of many students who take drugs at her school,
but the ones who do talk about it openly to their friends.

She said students who have drug problems are referred confidentially to a
team of teachers who try to get them help. She noted that 10th- graders
must participate in the anti-drug D.A.R.E. program.

Rowe said she'd like to see more drug counseling in place at the schools
without incidents being reported to the police.

Billy Bergan, 16, treasurer of the Washington County Association of Student
Councils, said he'd like to see stronger drug and alcohol awareness
programs in the elementary and middle schools.

"By the time they reach their sophomore year they're already doing it," the
junior at North Hagerstown High School said.

Bergan said he knows of a few kids at North High who take drugs, but the
problem is not widespread.

Budesky said Community Partnership is working to obtain grants to fight
teen drug and alcohol programs. He said he'd like to poll students on what
they feel needs to be done.

"It's alarming to us that it's continued to go up," Budesky said. "It
certainly is something that we need to address, and we need to address it
immediately."