SOME DRUG USE BY FLORIDA YOUTH DROPPING

TALLAHASSEE - Use of steroids, LSD, ecstasy and heroin among young
people dropped by at least 50 percent between 2000 and 2004, while
their use of depressants is up, Florida's drug czar told the state's
annual drug summit Tuesday.

Alcohol remained a troublesome problem in that age group, its use
dropping by only 6 percent during the years tracked.

"Everyone thinks that rite of passage has become a "right of passage,'
" said state drug control director Jim McDonough.

Methamphetamine production, along with its accompanying environmental
and explosive hazards, also presents a rising problem. Some 332 labs
were seized last year, up from just 28 in 2001, Gov. Jeb Bush said.

Bush said he would sign legislation requiring that some decongestants
used to make the drug be sold in small amounts and kept behind a counter.