STUDENT DRUG USE CALLED 'CRISIS'

A recent survey reveals alcohol, tobacco and drug use in Hernando
schools is higher than the state average.

One-tenth of Hernando County middle school students went to school
drunk or high during the past school year, and one-third of high
school students have tried an illicit drug other than marijuana,
according to a recent study that shows Hernando teens use alcohol,
drugs and tobacco at a rate higher than the state average.

The report -- prepared by the Florida Department of Children and
Families after surveying children throughout the state, including
more than 1,200 Hernando middle and high school students -- is
raising eyebrows. Especially among local law enforcement and health
officials, who expressed surprise at the county's elevated results.

"Traditionally, we thought our problems were no worse than anywhere
else. That's the standard line, and you accept it -- until you read
empirical data like this," said Sheriff Richard Nugent. "To me, this
is a crisis for us. There is an unequivocal need for us to do
something more."

According to the report, Hernando County teens have tried alcohol at
a "much higher rate" than most students around the state, and also
surpass the average in the use of marijuana and cigarettes. They have
tried drugs such as heroin, hallucinogens, depressants and crack
cocaine at a slightly higher rate than the average Florida student.
And the survey indicated that use of almost all of those substances
in the month before the time of the survey was higher among Hernando
students than the state average.

Forty-three percent of Hernando County middle students said they had
tried alcohol, and about 23 percent of middle school-age kids
reported they had used an illicit drug. By high school, 74 percent of
students report they have used alcohol, and about half have tried
some other type of drug.

Some Hernando officials said they were not surprised about the level
of substance use, simply the fact that Hernando's statistics were
higher than the state average. Others pointed out that the results
depend on the honesty of the students questioned.

Rebecca Martin, a county health educator, said she anticipated the
high use of tobacco products. (About 20 percent of all Hernando
middle and high school students reported smoking within 30 days of
being surveyed, versus 15 percent statewide.) Traditionally, she
said, cigarette and chewing-tobacco use is greater among adults in
rural areas, and that translates to higher teenage use.

"Teens are influenced by what they grow up with and what they see
around them," said Martin, who also organizes the county's Students
Working Against Tobacco, or SWAT, team.

Nor was Martin surprised that more girls than boys in the county
smoke cigarettes.

"That is a trend we are seeing. Teenage girls are really conscious
about their looks, and they are using (cigarettes) as a
weight-control device," she said.

In response to the study, Martin said she is going to try to work
with sports coaches at the public schools to have them educate
students on how tobacco products affect athletic performance.

Nugent has bigger plans. The sheriff wants to start a comprehensive
law enforcement-based drug education program for middle-school
students.

"We've done some hit-and-miss programs, but nothing intensive. And we
haven't done much on alcohol," he said. "I don't think you can lay
(the blame) for this all on law enforcement, but we need to take the
lead here."

What is to blame for Hernando students' high usage levels?

In trying to determine causes, the study asked students about several
risk factors. It found that Hernando teens feel more detached from
their communities and schools than the average Florida student.

Hernando students reported that their communities are more
disorganized and unsafe, and said that adults have not sent them a
particularly strong anti-drug message.

The levels at which Hernando teens complained about these factors
exceeded not only the state average, but also the average for
counties with populations similar to Hernando's.

Given the results, surveyors recommended that Hernando parents,
schools and law enforcement officials do a better job educating and
supervising the county's youth.

Sharon Rose, a division manager at the Harbor Behavioral Health Care
Institute, said many resources already exist for teens and adults.

Her organization does prevention, intervention and treatment work
throughout the community, either by coming to schools to talk to
groups, counseling at-risk children one-on-one or treating students
caught using drugs.

There are constraints on what can be done, however. Rose said one
successful program at Brooksville Elementary School puts a full-time
counselor in a classroom with at-risk children.

The counselor helps the teacher and acts as a therapist throughout
the school day. The only cost of the program is the counselor's
salary, but there is not enough money to expand the program to other
classrooms and schools, she said.

"The results we have with their program are amazing . . . but we
couldn't do it all over the place," she said.

The school system also has a Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program that
provides education in health classes, as well as anti-drug rallies,
intervention and testing, said program coordinator Janice Smith.

Smith, who helped administer the survey throughout Hernando, called
the results "enlightening" and said they validated "the concerns I've
been voicing all along."

She added, however, that drugs and alcohol are a community problem
and that the most important aspect of education falls to parents. She
stressed that parents need to know who their children's friends are,
establish limits and set a good example themselves.

According to the study, Hernando teens were more likely to have a
family history of anti-social behavior than average, and their
parents were likely to have more favorable attitudes toward drug and
alcohol use than average.

"The schools are doing their part, but it's up to the parents to
start teaching and enforcing these lessons," Smith said. "These are
their children."

To Read More

To read the full Florida Department of Children and Families report
on teenage alcohol, tobacco and drug use, go to
http://www.state.fl.us/cf_web/ on the Internet and click on the Youth
Substance Abuse Survey link. A statewide report and reports for every
county in Florida are available.