MANY MONTGOMERY STUDENTS DON'T SEE DRUGS AS HEALTH RISK

A majority of the 1,791 students surveyed said they "mostly likely"
used cigarettes, marijuana or alcohol within a month of a survey
given this past fall.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- Montgomery County's students believe that alcohol
and drugs, particularly marijuana, are not as serious a risk to their
health as students nationally, according to a survey administered in
the fall.

Montgomery County Public Schools had students in grades eight, 10 and
12 complete a national survey called PRIDE that asked questions about
their drug use and perceptions about the risks of drugs and alcohol.
The idea was to find out what students think about drugs and how
often they're using, said Laura Williams, a grant writer for the
school system.

This was the first time in a decade students had been queried about
their use.

A majority of the 1,791 students surveyed said they "mostly likely"
had smoked cigarettes and marijuana and drank alcohol within a month
of the survey, according to a report given to the Montgomery County
School Board. High school seniors reported drinking more heavily in
the 30 days preceding the survey than those nationally, according to
the report.

Administrators did not provide a full report of the data compiled
through the survey to the board. Sharon Zuckerwar, the system's
supervisor of social sciences, said data from individual schools
needed to be shared with principals before it could be made public.

But of the information provided about the multiple-choice surveys, 33
percent of seniors said smoking marijuana "once or twice" or
"regularly" posted a moderate or great health risk. The perception of
marijuana as a risky drug does rise the younger students are, with
44 percent of sophomores and 66 percent of eighth-graders reporting
regular use as a moderate health risk.

Williams told board members at Tuesday's meeting that they shouldn't
find the figures alarming because differences with national averages
on cigarette and alcohol use were marginal.

Nearly 70 percent of Montgomery seniors said that drinking one or two
alcoholic beverages daily poses a moderate risk, whereas 65 percent
responded similarly nationally.

However, the survey showed that high school seniors nationally
perceived the risk of marijuana nearly doubly as dangerous as seniors
in Montgomery County. "That was an area of concern that we want to
look at more fully," Williams said.

She and others who examined the survey results in the past week have
recommended the school board ramp up its drug education program,
particularly in middle schools.

Students across the county learn about drug use through fifth-grade
D.A.R.E., and other life skills lessons are weaved into health
curriculum throughout the years, said Lois Graham, director of
elementary schools.

Still, older students view those lessons as "out of sight, out of
mind," board member Penny Franklin said.

That's evident in the results: Students in higher grades said they
thought it was easier here to access drugs and alcohol than students
nationally. Younger students said it was more difficult.

"Most teenagers do know they can get what they want when they want
it," said board member Jamie Bond. "We have put so much awareness of
cigarettes and alcohol that we have forgotten to put so much on
marijuana, and I think kids forget the stress that used to be put on
it."

The county expects to give the survey, which costs about $3,000,
every couple of years and could expand it to include younger grades.
The company that creates the survey, International Survey Associates,
recommends giving it to students in grades six to 12.

"The real information will come in the next couple of years as the
program is fine-tuned," Williams said.