ADULTS CAN HELP CURB DRUG USE AMONG TEENS

The latest report that drug and alcohol abuse are at their lowest
levels in a decade is cause for celebration and points to the
influence that parents and adults can have on young people.

The survey clearly points out that young people are heeding warnings
from their parents and other adults about the dangers of drug and
alcohol abuse, and the outcome is bringing positive results.

The findings in the survey, conducted at schools contracted with Pride
Surveys to question students during the 2001-02 academic year,
reinforce the long-standing belief that parental influence plays an
integral role in the choices their children make.

The percentage of students abusing any illicit drugs - including
marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and others - dropped 22.3
percent to the lowest level registered since the 1993-94 school year.

The percentages of high school students who said they drank - 65
percent - or smoked cigarettes - 36 percent - in the previous 12
months were the lowest in the 15-year history of the Pride Surveys.

The results, from data collected between August 2001 and last month,
are the "best report on adolescent behaviors in over a decade," and
might reflect a cultural reaction to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
said officials of the National Drug Control Policy.

While the shock waves of Sept. 11 might have an influence on young
people`s behavior and affect the decisions they make, the survey does
indicate that children who are warned away from drugs and encouraged
to engage in extracurricular activities are less likely to take drugs.

Studies in the past indicate that teens who learn about the risk of
drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to try drugs
than are teens who learn nothing at home.

This good-news survey should encourage more parents and adults to
become more vigilant in talking to young people about the dangers and
repercussions of using drugs and abusing alcohol.