U.S. DRUG STUDY OFFERS VIEW OF COLORADO

9.3% Of State's Residents Age 12 And Up Had Used Pot Or Other Illegal Substances Within Month Of Survey

WASHINGTON — One in eight Colorado children ages 12 to 17 have used an illegal drug, usually marijuana, within the past month, according to a new federal survey.

The number jumps to nearly one in four for 18- to 25-year-olds.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, which for the first time breaks out state-by-state findings, says 310,000 Coloradans had used an illegal drug within a month of being asked the question in 1999.

That's 9.3 percent of 3.3 million Coloradans age 12 or older.

Across the nation, 7 percent of those surveyed said they had used an illegal drug in the past 30 days, a drop from previous years. The survey defined illegal drugs to include marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, hallucinogens and heroin.

One in 10 Colorado children ages 12 to 17 reported smoking marijuana in the past month, the study said. One in five 18- to 25-year-olds said they used the drug.

The findings came as no surprise to Bruce Mendelson, data analyst with the state Department of Human Service's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.

"Typically, Colorado has always been more toward the top than the bottom (in national surveys)," he said.

Mendelson, who has charted drug and alcohol use in Colorado for many years, said the national survey's statistics on marijuana use among teens are still well below the figures contained in a new statewide report expected to be released later this year.

The Colorado Youth Survey, conducted by the state's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, surveyed about 16,000 youths in 30 different communities, asking whether they had used marijuana within a 30-day period in 1998. About 12 percent of eighth-graders, 22.5 percent of 10th-graders and 24 percent of 12th-graders answered "yes."

"So, the national statistics (released Thursday) show somewhat lower drug use than the Colorado Youth Survey, which is done face-to-face, in the classroom," Mendelson said.

Colorado's rate of marijuana use troubled Barbara O'Brien, president of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which surveys how alcohol and drugs contribute to violence and suicide among the state's youth.

Among those key factors, she said, is a low unemployment rate that has left many youths unsupervised in the after-school hours.

"When you look at the combination of risk factors surrounding Colorado teen-agers," O'Brien said, "they're definitely significantly above the national average."

The statistics on drug use among Colorado children, she said, "are appalling."

The federal National Household Survey charts trends for the use of illicit drugs, cigarettes and alcohol. It includes state-by-state estimates of everything from drug dependency and binge drinking to cocaine use and cigarette preferences.

Marlboro came out on top as the No. 1 brand across the nation for youths ages 12 to 17, with about 54.5 percent calling it their favorite brand.

The survey is based on a representative sample of 13,000 people responding on questionnaires similar to those used in past years. Estimates in individual states were developed by combining sampling data from each state with national models.

Drinking was also high in Colorado.

The survey showed 42.5 percent of Coloradans in the 18-to-25 age group reported binge drinking, meaning they consumed five or more drinks on one occasion during a 30-day period. Overall 22 percent of Coloradans reported binge drinking last year — a total of about 738,000 people, which is about 2 percent higher than the national average.

Those figures also are not surprising to Mendelson, who cited a national study released last year which ranked Colorado second in alcohol-related problems and 15th in drug problems. He said that study used three key indices — deaths from alcohol and drug problems, arrests and treatment admissions — to create a "problem index" across the 50 states.

Colorado, he said, has always ranked among the leaders in per-capita consumption of alcohol — at least in part because of a younger, recreational-minded population and "lots of liquor outlets related to tourism."

"We rank very high in alcohol problems," Mendelson said.

The good news? Coloradans smoke less than the national average. The survey shows that 24.6 of Coloradans reported using cigarettes, as opposed to the national average of nearly 26 percent. Still, the number of young smokers in Colorado age 12 to 17 slightly exceeds the national average.