News (Media Awareness Project) - US: Pot Is Easier To Buy Than Beer, Survey Finds |
| Title: | US: Pot Is Easier To Buy Than Beer, Survey Finds |
| Published On: | 2002-08-21 |
| Source: | St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-08-30 00:57:48 |
POT IS EASIER TO BUY THAN BEER, SURVEY FINDS
WASHINGTON - Teenagers say marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes or
beer, but only one in four admits to trying it, a national survey finds.
When the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse polled 1,000
teens under 18 last winter, 27 percent said they could buy marijuana in an
hour or less; 8 percent said it would take a few hours. But for the first
time since the study began in 1996, teenagers said it was easier to buy
marijuana than cigarettes or beer.
The annual survey didn't specify whether drugs are easy or difficult to buy
at school, but 63 percent of students said their schools are "drug-free,"
nearly double the number who said the same in 1998. It's the highest
percentage since 1996.
Educators said years of using anti-drug programs such as D.A.R.E. seem to
be paying off.
"I think we're starting to see the fruition of some of those programs,"
said Gerald Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of
Secondary School Principals.
He said student drug use has been dropping for the past four or five years
as communities began financing anti-drug programs. "There has been a sense
that the drug problem, while not solved, has been improving," he said.
More than half of students said they don't drink alcohol in a typical week,
and about as many said they have never had a drink.
While one in four students said at least one parent smokes cigarettes, 69
percent said their parents have never smoked.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, based at Columbia
University, polls teenagers on drug use and the presence of drugs in
schools. This year's random telephone survey of students age 12-17 was
conducted Dec. 27-Feb. 6 by QEV Analytics. It has a margin of error of plus
or minus 3.1 percentage points.
An accompanying survey of parents found them equally divided on their
children's drug habits: 44 percent said it's "not very likely" their child
will ever try illegal drugs, but 43 percent it's "very likely" or "somewhat
likely" that their kids will try them.
WASHINGTON - Teenagers say marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes or
beer, but only one in four admits to trying it, a national survey finds.
When the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse polled 1,000
teens under 18 last winter, 27 percent said they could buy marijuana in an
hour or less; 8 percent said it would take a few hours. But for the first
time since the study began in 1996, teenagers said it was easier to buy
marijuana than cigarettes or beer.
The annual survey didn't specify whether drugs are easy or difficult to buy
at school, but 63 percent of students said their schools are "drug-free,"
nearly double the number who said the same in 1998. It's the highest
percentage since 1996.
Educators said years of using anti-drug programs such as D.A.R.E. seem to
be paying off.
"I think we're starting to see the fruition of some of those programs,"
said Gerald Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of
Secondary School Principals.
He said student drug use has been dropping for the past four or five years
as communities began financing anti-drug programs. "There has been a sense
that the drug problem, while not solved, has been improving," he said.
More than half of students said they don't drink alcohol in a typical week,
and about as many said they have never had a drink.
While one in four students said at least one parent smokes cigarettes, 69
percent said their parents have never smoked.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, based at Columbia
University, polls teenagers on drug use and the presence of drugs in
schools. This year's random telephone survey of students age 12-17 was
conducted Dec. 27-Feb. 6 by QEV Analytics. It has a margin of error of plus
or minus 3.1 percentage points.
An accompanying survey of parents found them equally divided on their
children's drug habits: 44 percent said it's "not very likely" their child
will ever try illegal drugs, but 43 percent it's "very likely" or "somewhat
likely" that their kids will try them.
Member Comments |
No member comments available...
