DRUG USE BY STUDENTS FALLING OFF

Greater Cincinnati Numbers Still Too High, Officials Say

Smoking, drinking and marijuana use is down for the first time in 12 years
among Greater Cincinnati students, but the number of adolescents who abuse
substances still troubles anti-drug groups.

Nearly a fourth of the region's 7th to 12th grade students surveyed said
they drank alcohol within 30 days of a school questionnaire, while16 percent
said they smoked cigarettes and 13 percent used marijuana. Three percent
said they used the drug known as Ecstasy, which is a hallucinogen.

That's according to survey data released Monday by the Coalition for a
Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati, a non-profit group committed to reducing drug
use.

"We have to understand we're seeing an attitudinal change," said Rhonda
Ramsey Molina, coalition president.

In the past, she said, "There was a lot of peer acceptance and a perception
that it's not very harmful so it's OK for me to engage in this behavior."

She said kids now are starting to reject substance use not only for
themselves but are saying it's harmful for their friends and they don't want
to engage in that behavior.

The coalition surveyed nearly 67,000 students in public, private and
parochial schools across 10 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The
surveys were passed out in December and January, and the data are 94 percent
reliable, Ms. Ramsey Molina said.

This is only the second such survey conducted by the coalition. The
nonprofit organization compared data from past area school surveys, such as
those by Citizens Against Substance Abuse, to determine the trend over 12
years.

Compared to the group's survey two years ago, the latest results showed:

* Cigarette smoking by adolescents within 30 days of the survey was down
from 21 percent in 2000 to 16 percent in 2002.

* Alcohol use decreased from 30 percent to 23 percent

* Marijuana use fell from 15 percent to 13 percent.

Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, one of the founders of the coalition, said
the survey is the most comprehensive ever done in the country. "It's almost
like a census," Mr. Portman said.

"It's showing us that we're beginning to turn the corner. After 12 years of
bad news, we're finally getting a little good news in that we're beginning
to see a decrease in drug use, including alcohol and smoking."

Of the students surveyed, about 7,000 were from the Cincinnati Public School
system.

But there is still work to do, Mr. Portman said.

"This is welcomed news and a lot better than the alternative," Mr. Portman
said. "But drug use among teens is still at double digits, which is
unacceptably high. A lot of kids are not achieving their potential because
of that. So let's redouble our efforts and our education. When we take our
eye off the ball, substance abuse creeps right back up there.

Students say smoking is the most common drug abuse they see, but they also
hear about kids who drink alcohol or use other drugs.

Michael Carr, an 8th grader at Walnut Hills High School, said he sees some
of the high school students there smoking cigarettes outside, and a lot of
the kids in his grade watching them. But he doesn't see or hear about other
drug use, except for alcohol, which some of his classmates have experimented
with.

"Most of them are juniors and seniors," Michael said of the smokers.
"There's a short cut way of getting to the buses that is kind of secluded,
and you can usually see seven or eight of them standing there and smoking. A
lot of people go back that way. I used to, but I don't anymore."

Brian Neville, a 7th grader at Amelia Middle School, said he doesn't think
there is any drug use at his school. He has heard about drugs in his health
class and in DARE.

"We learned all the stuff they can do to you, how they can make you look,
turn your teeth all yellow and make your face all droopy. I don't want to
look like that."

Ben Villanyi, a 14-year-old 9th grader at Mason High School, said he doesn't
see much drug use but he hears talk about it in the hallways. Still, it's
hard to tell how widespread drug use is because not all kids using drugs
talk about it openly, he said.

"Anybody could be doing it," Ben said. "It's really hard to tell. I see
people using cigarettes the most."

Rhiana Rew, a Withrow High School junior, said she, too, sees kids smoking
but also hears about kids drinking alcohol and using drugs at parties.

She said some students may be less prone to bringing drugs to school because
of a multitude of random security checks, where students' coats and book
bags are searched in class.

"That makes me feel safer knowing they have random checks," Rhiana said.

The coalition highlighted results from Cincinnati Public Schools, where
marijuana, alcohol and cigarette usage is also down over the past two years.
Cincinnati Public students who were surveyed smoked and drank alcohol less
than the students across the region. However, more reported using marijuana
than students regionwide.

Ten percent of Cincinnati Public School students reported drinking alcohol
within 30 days of the survey while 10 percent also said they smoked
cigarettes. That's compared to 23 percent who drank alcohol and 16 percent
who smoked cigarettes across the region. Sixteen percent said they used
marijuana versus 13 percent across the region.

Cincinnati school officials said they were pleased with the results, but
they aren't satisfied.

"What's the right number of kids that should be experimenting or using these
kinds of substances on a regular basis? The answer is zero," said Kevin
Stinson, Safe and Drug-Free School Program coordinator for Cincinnati Public
Schools. "We can't shoot for anything less than that. What we like is the
trend is going in the right direction."