POT USE LINKED TO OTHER RISKS

Reckless Teenagers More Likely To Toke

Nearly 30 per cent of 16- to 17-year-olds say they have taken money from
their parents without permission - a quarter of them saying they had done
it three times or more over the previous year, according to new results
from a major study of Canada's youth.

The survey, which sheds new light on the lives of Canada's teenagers, also
found that 44 per cent of 16- and 17-year-olds reported that they had
smoked marijuana while 26 per cent reported having stayed out all night
without their parents' permission.

Ninety-five per cent of those surveyed said they were happy and optimistic
about their future.

But the survey also found that 24 per cent reported symptoms of depression
ranging from poor appetite or restless sleep to loss of optimism or loneliness.

Ruth Martin, responsible for children's surveys and statistics at
Statistics Canada, said it is hard to tell whether risky behaviours, drug
use or depression is on the rise, because this is the first time there has
been such a comprehensive study of Canadian teenagers: "This may well be a
normal part of growing up."

Satya Brink of Human Resources Development Canada said the survey examines
a period of life when teenagers are more likely to take risks: "It's a
stage of life when children do all sorts of little things like that."

She added it doesn't mean they are destined for a life of crime.

The statistics made public yesterday are part of the latest data from the
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, a major federal
government funded research project that is tracking thousands of young
Canadians from birth to age 25.

The survey, which began collecting data in 1994, is looking at a wide
variety of elements in the lives of those children and includes periodic
testing of their development.

The results of the research studies being done on the basis of the data are
playing a key role in shaping government policy on children and youth.

Yesterday's results, part of the fourth cycle of the survey, are based on
interviews in 2000-2001 with 2,250 teenagers age 16 and 17 who have been
followed since they were 10 or 11 years old.

What the survey found was when it came to several kinds of risky
behaviours, there was a sharp rise from when the kids were surveyed at age
12 and 13.

For example, in 1996-97, 15 per cent of 12- and 13-year-olds reported that
they had taken money from their parents without permission at least once.
When the same group was surveyed four years later, 29 per cent admitted
they had stolen money from their parents once or twice and a quarter of
them said they had done it at least three times during the past year.

When they were 12 and 13, nine per cent of the group reported having stayed
out all night without parental permission. Four years later, the rate had
risen to 27 per cent, with a third who reported doing it at least three
times in the previous year.

When it came to damaging property (12 per cent) or fights that resulted in
physical injuries (five per cent), the survey found very little change in
the teens' behaviour between the ages of 12 and 13 and between 16 and 17.

However, the survey did find a link between smoking marijuana and other
types of risky behaviour. The survey found that 44 per cent of 16- and
17-year-olds reported that they had smoked marijuana during the 12 months
prior to the survey.

"The incidence of marijuana use was 1.8 to 2.6 times higher among youth who
reported participating in risky behaviours such as staying out all night
without permission, taking money from parents and damaging others'
property," the survey found.

"Among 16- and 17-year-olds who reported staying out all night without
permission, 72 per cent reported that they had tried smoking marijuana. ...

"For 16- and 17-year-olds who reported that they had taken money from their
parents, 64 per cent reported that they smoked marijuana, and for those who
reported that they had damaged others' property, 69 per cent reported that
they had smoked marijuana."

The survey also found that teens reported more symptoms of depression as
they grew older. While only nine per cent of them reported it at age 12 and
13, that rate had risen to 24 per cent at age 16 and 17.

For the most part, however, the 16- and 17-year-olds reported they were
healthy and optimistic about their futures, with 88 per cent saying they
planned to continue their educations beyond high school and more than half
aiming for a university degree.