DRUG USE AMONG YOUNG KIDS UP, STUDY SAYS

Austin-A new study of drug use among young Texans shows that inhalant
use by fourth-through sixth-graders is increasing, according to
preliminary results released Thursday.

The Texas School Survey of Substance Use, conducted every two years by
state health officials, also shows that Ecstasy use declined 50
percent among seventh-graders and 58 percent among ninth-graders in
the past two years.

Inhalant use among students in fourth to sixth grade increased 17
percent, officials said. In seventh grade through high school,
inhalant use dropped slightly overall for the group, although in
certain grade levels, such as eighth grade, there was an increase
compared to two years ago. Alcohol use dipped slightly at most grade
levels.

The survey, conducted in conjunction with the Texas A&M University
Public Policy Research Institute, examined alcohol and drug use among
215,116 in-school students in Texas.

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The preliminary study results were released as a group of dozens of
fifth- and sixth-graders from across Texas converged on the Texas
Capitol on Thursday to celebrate their decision to remain drug free.
They also drafted and debated anti-drug legislation in a mock
legislative session.

"This day is about encouraging kids to be drug free and marking the
progress we've made. Many teens are choosing not to use drugs," Wanser
said.