BAY STATE TEENS' DRUG, ALCOHOL USE FALLS

The use of alcohol and drugs among Bay State teens has dropped
dramatically, in some cases to the lowest levels ever, according to a
survey released yesterday by state public health officials.

"This is a report we are celebrating today," said Dr. Howard Koh,
commissioner of the Department of Public Health. "We are witnessing the
power of prevention at work."

The percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who had ever used
drugs was down 8 percent in 1999, while lifetime alcohol use among the
same group declined 5 percent, the survey showed. At the same time, the
use of the club drug ecstasy was up sharply - double the national
average, officials noted with dismay.

"We're not treating this lightly at all," said Teresa Anderson of the
DPH's Bureau of Substance Abuse Services.

The percentage of students in grades 7 and 8 who said they had tried
alcohol was the lowest ever, down 19 percent in three years to about 60
percent.

The average age for first trying booze rose to 12.3 years, the highest
average age reported since 1990, the report said.

Among the youngest students surveyed, just over one-third of
sixth-graders reported having tried alcohol, a 31 percent drop from
three years before.

About 8 percent of sixth-graders reported using alcohol within the prior
30 days, a 40 percent drop.

For marijuana, lifetime and current usage declined across all grades, 6
through 12, between the years 1996 and 1999, while usage rose nationally
during that time. The drop brings marijuana usage among Massachusetts
teens to around the national average.

Abuse of inhalants such as hair spray also declined across the board,
dropping 20 percent over the three-year period of the survey. The 16
percent lifetime usage rate was the lowest ever recorded in the history
of the survey. Current usage was only 6 percent.

On a negative note, however, use of the club drug ecstasy shot up 45
percent among those in grades 7 and 8 and 56 percent among those in
grades 9 through 12.

Still, Anderson said the general findings of the report show that
prevention programs are working.

The programs, run by the DPH, schools and police departments, are now
focusing on middle school students, and she said that seems to be paying
off.

Teens interviewed in Boston, however, disputed the report's finding and
said they believe drug use to be on the upswing.

"Right now, a lot of kids are using drugs because they see older people
doing drugs and they think it's cool," said Shiquita Cox, 15, a
ninth-grader at Madison Park High School.

"I hate to say it but the more popular kids are more into drugs," said
Chachi Mock, 14, a freshman at the John O'Bryant School. "It's because
of peer pressure."

The survey, conducted in 169 schools in 106 communities, questioned
6,980 students in 1999. The voluntary and anonymous survey has been
conducted every three years since 1984.

The percentage of students, grades 7-12, who had used any drug at any
time declined from 54.3 percent to 46.1 percent, a drop of 15 percent in
three years.

Current drug use for grades 7-12 declined 21 percent, from 15.9 percent
to 12.6 percent in the three year period.

The lifetime usage numbers for those in grades 9-12 were higher, with
56.8 percent saying they had tried a drug at least once, a drop of 8
percent from the 1996 figure of 61.8 percent.

Current usage numbers for those in grades 9-12 dropped from 37 to 34
percent, a decline of 8 percent.

While use of ecstasy was way up, the survey showed the overall usage
rates still fairly low, at least compared to alcohol and marijuana.
Lifetime use among those in grades 9-12 nearly tripled, from 6 percent
in 1996 to 15 percent in 1999.

Thirty-six percent of those in grades 7-12 said it is easy to get
ecstasy, while 51 percent of those in grades 9-12 said they can get it
without much trouble.

The DPH's Ian Wong, who serves on a special "club drug task force," said
ecstasy is not only available in dance clubs anymore.

"Like any other drug, it makes its way down through the chain, and kids
are getting it from friends and other people out there," he said.

The task force is trying to fight the perception, among teens, that
"everybody is using it," he said.

The survey, he said, shows that perception is not reality.

"Only a small number say they use it," he said.