PICTURE OF DRUG USE BY YOUNG IS MIXED

WASHINGTON -- The use of illegal drugs by children 12 to 17 dropped sharply
from 1997 to 1999, the federal government said yesterday. But drug use
among people 18 to 25 went up.

The study found a 21 percent drop from 1997 to 1999 among those 12 to 17
who said they had used an illegal drug in the month before they were surveyed.

But the survey results among people 18 to 25 -- who are among those most
likely to commit crimes -- showed a worsening problem. Use of illicit drugs
rose 28 percent in two years; 14.7 percent in this age group reported using
an illicit drug in 1997, while 18.8 percent said they had done so in 1999.