TEEN DRUG USE SURVEYED

More than 70 percent of 11th-graders and 58 percent of ninth-graders in Los
Angeles County have used drugs and alcohol at some point in their lives,
according to a new study released Wednesday.

The first California Health Kids survey of 60,000 students in 47 Los
Angeles County school districts also found that 36 percent of
seventh-graders used drugs and alcohol.

The survey, conducted in 1999-2000 and funded by the state's 25-cent-a-pack
tobacco tax, is designed to assess the health-related behaviors of students
in seventh, ninth and 11th grades to help school districts design programs
to reduce alcohol, tobacco and drug use.

"It's all about trying to reduce the early onset, because the earlier a
person gets involved with alcohol, drugs and tobacco, the greater the
chances are they will become habitually addicted," said Gus T. Dalis,
director of the Center for Health Education in the county Office of Education.

Dalis presented the survey findings for the first time Wednesday to the
county Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Commission. Officials will use the
data to measure gains when a second survey is released in fall 2002.

Although reported drug and alcohol use was high overall, the number of
students reporting such illicit activity within 30 days of taking the
survey dropped significantly.

About 42 percent of 11th-graders reported using drugs and alcohol within a
month of the survey compared with 73 percent who said they did so in the
past. The numbers sank to 35 percent of ninth-graders and 20 percent of
seventh-graders.

A survey of 2,529 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District found
slightly fewer students use alcohol and drugs.

The LAUSD survey found 33 percent of seventh-graders, 56 percent of
ninth-graders and 73 percent of 11th-graders used alcohol or drugs at one
time in their lives.

Within 30 days of the survey, those numbers fell to 18 percent of
seventh-graders, 34 percent of ninth-graders and 40 percent of
11th-graders. Those numbers were still too high, say LAUSD officials.

"Any numbers that show kids are using and involved in risk behaviors is too
high for us," said Rona Cole, coordinator of health education programs for
the district. "We are working hard to provide programs and interventions
for kids to help them stay drug-free, tobacco-free, alcohol-free and
violence-free."

The countywide survey also found that 14 percent of seventh-graders, 17
percent of ninth-graders and 16 percent of 11th-graders used inhalants to
get high, and that 10 percent of seventh-graders, 23 percent of
ninth-graders and 39 percent of 11th-graders had used marijuana.

"It's a pretty high incidence of inhalants for seventh-graders," Dalis
said. "That suggests this is probably the choice because of the
accessibility of inhalants to youngsters."