EL PASO DRUG ARRESTS ON RISE AS JUVENILE USE FALLS IN U.S.

A national study indicating that drug use is declining among juveniles is
encouraging, even though the number of drug-related arrests in El Paso has
increased, officials said.

The recently released Household Survey by the Office of National Drug
Control Policy shows drug use among youths ages 12 to 17 dropped 21 percent
during the two-year period 1997-99.

Hector Zamora, the assistant chief juvenile probation officer in the El
Paso Juvenile Probation Office, said the statistics on declining drug use
are good news for the nation and El Paso.

"The community as a whole, all the social service agencies, law enforcement
agencies, the schools and families are doing a good job," he said.

In 1997, 11.4 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States were
using drugs, according to the study. In 1999, that figure dropped to 9
percent. The study also showed a 26 percent drop in marijuana use among 12-
to 17-year-olds during the same period.

In 1999, the new survey shows, 10.4 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in Texas
reported using an illicit drug in the past month. In New Mexico, 13.7
percent of 12- to 17-year-olds reported using drugs, and 12.6 percent of
the same age group reported using drugs in Colorado. The highest percentage
of reported drug users in 1999 in the 12-to-17 age group was in Delaware,
where 18.3 percent reported using illegal drugs in the past month.

Though Zamora doesn't have statistics for drug use by youths in El Paso, he
said the number of cases fielded by his department has been declining since
1997. However, the number of juvenile felony drug-related arrests has been
increasing since 1995.

A drug-related felony arrest usually has to do with somebody who is selling
drugs, not just using them, Zamora said.

In 1999, 142 El Paso youths were arrested for felony drug-related offenses.
As national numbers for youth drug use go down, the total number of
drug-related arrests in El Paso is going up.

Lt. Gabe Serna, of the El Paso Police Department's Narcotics Unit, said an
increase in marijuana seizures and drug arrests this year compared to last
year is due to a combination of many factors.

"El Paso is a major drug port, so there are a lot of drugs out there," he
said. "But of course, law enforcement is also doing a better job. The main
thing is that it is a combined effort. There are a lot of law-enforcement
agencies in El Paso, and we're all working together."

In 1999, 433 drug-related arrests were made in El Paso from January to
August and 16,371 pounds of marijuana were seized. This year there were 458
arrests and 24,851 pounds of marijuana seized in the same period.

The national drug study also indicates that adults ages 18 to 25 are using
illicit drugs more now than two years ago. The use of drugs in that age
group rose from 14.7 percent in 1997 to 18.8 percent in 1999, a 28 percent
increase.

The report says that the earlier a child begins to use drugs, the more
likely the child will become dependent on drugs as an adult.

"Young people may think that they are only experimenting, but, as this
study shows, they are really gambling with their futures," White House
National Drug Policy Director Barry McCaffrey said in a press release
highlighting the findings of the study.

The national study was based on a sample of 67,000 people 12 and older. It
was the largest sampling ever conducted by the Household Survey.

For more information: www.samhsa.gov.