TEEN-AGE DRUG ABUSE ABOVE STATE AVERAGE

Statistics presented to officials Phillip de Valcourt / Staff Writer Posted
on March 9, 2002 Representatives from the St. Landry Parish Access to
Success program showed the Opelousas mayor and board of aldermen the
disturbing trend of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use starting in 6th grade.

Simply, "Our children use more alcohol than the state rate," said Karen
Kitson, program director, Access to Success Youth Program sponsored by
District Attorney Earl Taylor and the state Department of Health and Hospitals.

She said the goal of the program is to lower drug alcohol and tobacco use
by the youth in Opelousas and the parish.

The fact of the matter is that St. Landry Parish students matched or
surpassed nearly every category of alcohol, tobacco and drug use figures
compared to the statewide percentages, according to a survey done by the
state Department of Health and Hospitals for 2001.

Kitson and Daniel Alsandor, teacher at Northwest High School, and drug
coordinator for the program, discussed a graph which showed 2001 survey
results from 6th-, 8th-, 10th- and 12th-grade students in St. Landry Parish
compared to the averages in the state.

Where the chart for 6th graders who ever tried alcohol shows a state
average of about 36 percent, the figure for St. Landry Parish is nearly 50
percent. It also shows that they at least tried more cigarettes, marijuana,
inhalants, hallucinogens and cocaine more than statewide averages. Less
than one percent tried amphetamines, which is below the state average of
one percent.

The chart shows a state average of about 27 percent of students trying
cigarettes, but about 30 percent in St. Landry Parish. About 12 percent of
students statewide and in the parish have at least tried chewing tobacco in
6th grade.

The chart also indicated that over a given 30-day period, parish 6th
graders use more alcohol, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, marijuana, and
inhalants compared to state averages. The statewide figure for 30-day use
is about 26 percent of students.

According to the report, about 21 percent of parish students used alcohol,
compared to the state average of 18 percent. Parish survey results show
students using cigarettes only about 1 percent over the 8 percent state
average, as with chewing tobacco with a 4 percent average. Marijuana and
inhalant use is about 2 percent higher than the state averages of about 4
percent and 6 percent, respectively. Hallucinogen and amphetamine use were
below the state average of about 1 percent. But cocaine use tied with the
state average of about 1 percent.

Binge drinking was at 10 percent for the parish compared to the state
average of about 7 percent. Parish 6th graders tied the state average for
smoking a pack of cigarettes a day at about 4 percent.

"In the Access to Success program, we try to get them before they use drugs
and alcohol to make them aware of what will happen if they abuse these
things," Alsandor said. "We try to teach the kids to say 'no,' because the
peer pressure out there is rough. We shouldn't be at much less above any of
the state levels here."

Alsandor said they currently have 15 students enrolled in the five-week
program and though they usually draw from East Junior High School,
Opelousas High School and Northwest High School, the program is open to
kids from ages 13 to 17 and have some "at risk" students from Westminster
and Opelousas Catholic School as well and have had some from Eunice schools
in the past.

The statistics begin to jump in 8th graders, 10th graders and 12th graders.

Alcohol use over a 30-day period among 8th graders in the parish is about
42 percent compared to about 32 percent at the state average. And in St.
Landry Parish, about 69 percent of 12th graders have simply tried a drink
compared to the 60 percent statewide average, while at the same time, about
42 percent of local students said they use alcohol at least once during a
30-day period compared to the 32 percent statewide. And about 23 percent of
students surveyed here said they regularly binge drink versus the 16
percent average from the state for 8th graders.

The other largest climbs between 6th and 8th graders is in the use of
cigarettes and marijuana. The state average for trying cigarettes is 49
percent and about 67 percent of parish students said they tried them. At
the same time, about 23 percent of parish 8th graders admitted to trying
marijuana which is only slightly above the 20 percent average for the state.

Smokers who use marijuana at least once per month were only two points
higher at 12 percent over the state average.

At the same time, 8th graders who smoke cigarette at least once a month
were at 23 percent in the parish compared to 18 percent statewide. The
parish and the state percentages were the same at 8 percent for students
who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day.

The percentages among students who said they tried alcohol, smoking or
marijuana jumped, but stayed near, for the most part, to state averages.

The survey showed 83 percent of 10th graders in the parish said they tried
alcohol compared to 75 percent statewide.

The percentage of 10th graders in the parish who tried cigarettes was only
two point higher than the 58 percent statewide average and the parish
numbers were only two points higher at 35 percent in terms of students who
tried marijuana compared to the statewide figure of 33 percent.

Students in 10th grade who said they drank alcohol at least once per month
jumped to 56 percent, 10 point above the 46 percent average for the state.

Parish results showed 19 percent used marijuana at least once a month
compared to the 16 percent statewide. However, regular use of cigarettes
was at 20 percent which was four points lower than the state average of 24
percent.

At the same time, though, binge drinking was shown as at 36 percent among
parish students compared to the 26 percent statewide.

But 10th graders who smoke a pack of cigarettes or more per day in the
parish were at 8 percent compared to 12 percent statewide.

In general, use of drugs alcohol and tobacco increased only moderately as
students reached the 12th grade.

In the parish, 88 percent of 12th graders responding to the survey said
they had tried alcohol over the 81 percent statewide average, while at the
same time, kids who said they binge drink were at 43 percent in the parish
compared to 32 percent statewide. About 64 percent of 12th graders surveyed
said they drank alcohol at least once per month compared to about 54
percent statewide.

About 67 percent of students said they had tried cigarettes, over the 63
percent statewide. Parish percentages of those who smoked a pack of
cigarettes per day or more matched the state average of 19 percent. Those
who smoked cigarettes at least once a month in the parish were four points
above the state with about 34 percent compared to 30 percent at the state
level.

Marijuana use among 12th graders is only slightly above state averages.

Those who said they tried marijuana were at about 12 percent, which is
about 1 percent over the 11 percent average. However, about 25 percent of
students surveyed said they use marijuana at least once per month, compared
to about 19 percent statewide.

Also, 7 percent of 12th graders surveyed said they had tried cocaine and
about 4 percent said they used it at least once per month which is slightly
above the state averages.

"These numbers are tragic for our kids," Alsandor said.