POLL SHOWS STUDENT DRUG USE, RISKS

A state survey suggests that youths who drink or smoke marijuana
are more at risk to get poor grades or misbehave; officials call the figures
a warning for parents

Oregon students who use alcohol or marijuana are much likelier to have
failing grades, carry weapons, commit crimes and behave violently than
those who do not use drugs, a state survey suggests.

The biennial poll, based on a questionnaire filled out anonymously by
about 12,000 students, is the first to link alcohol and drug use with
its possible consequences, including criminal and violent behavior.
The sixth-, eighth- and 11th-graders polled were randomly selected
from 159 Oregon schools.

Results of the survey, conducted in the spring of 2000, were released
Tuesday by the Department of Human Services.

In most categories, statewide alcohol and illegal drug use in the year
2000 stayed about the same as in 1998, or fell slightly. Barbara
Cimaglio, administrator of the state Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Programs, called those numbers "unacceptably high."

More than four out of 10 high school juniors and one out of four
eighth-graders surveyed said they had drunk alcohol in the previous 30
days. About one in five 11th-graders and one in 11 eighth-graders
reported recently using an illegal drug -- usually marijuana.

Officials said the results are a wake-up call to remind parents of the
dangerous consequences of alcohol and drug use by adolescents and
teen-agers. The survey asked students if they had ever stolen a car,
taken a handgun to school, earned failing grades, been suspended from
school or been involved in a fight using a weapon. It found a striking
correlation.

"The pattern is pretty consistent," said Gwen Grams, manager of
research for the state Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs.
"Alcohol and drug use is associated with violent behavior, criminal
behavior, risky behavior and poor school performance."

Among the findings:

* Sixth-grade students who used alcohol or drugs were 13 times more
likely than their nonusing classmates to have brought a handgun to
school and seven times more likely to have been in a fight involving a
weapon.

* Eighth-grade students who used alcohol or drugs were 16 times more
likely to have stolen a car, 13 times more likely to have driven while
under the influence of intoxicants and seven times more likely to have
been arrested.

* Sixth- and eighth-graders who used alcohol or drugs were three times
more likely to have been suspended and twice as likely to have
received D and F grades.

The full survey is available online at www.oadap.hr.state.or.us.

The apparent link between alcohol or drug use and crime and poor
grades is not necessarily a cause-and-effect relation, Grams said. But
she said the statistical correlation is strong.

If using alcohol and drugs is a risk factor for crime, violence and
poor grades, the survey also found protective factors that help keep
students from engaging in such behavior. Many students who said they
did not use drugs also responded that they had clear parental
direction and involvement in school and community drug abuse
prevention programs.

"Parents should recognize they're very influential in their children's
lives," Cimaglio said. "It's critical that they have clear rules about
use of drugs and alcohol."

Marijuana is by far the most commonly used illegal drug among
students. Use of other drugs, including cocaine, hallucinogens,
methamphetamines and inhalants (as in glue-sniffing) remained at
levels below 1 percent.

The Oregon findings are in line with nationwide surveys, Cimaglio
said.

"We're not a lot better, and not a lot worse," she said. "But we're
still concerned."