HALTON TEENS' DRUG-ALCOHOL USE SERIOUS

Halton's medical officer of health says a recent study is proof positive
that student drug and alcohol use is an issue in Burlington, Oakville and
the rest of Halton Region. Bob Nosal said parents' most common complaint on
a regional anti-drug committee was that people didn't think student drug use
was a problem.

"We're hearing, 'It's like that in Hamilton and in Toronto, but it's not
like that in Halton.' What we're saying, is, it is like that in Halton.

"It's a significant issue. There are a significant number of kids using
drugs in amounts that will cause them harm. We now have the solid data to
show this."

The first ever Halton Student Drug Use Survey reflects an Ontario survey
conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In the past, Halton
relied on statistics from the provincial surveys to devise its substance
abuse programs. The Ontario survey released in November showed drug and
alcohol use had increased to the peak levels of the 1970s. Nosal said the
same must be true of Halton.

The Halton survey showed the most commonly used drugs in the region are the
same as those in the rest of Ontario: alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and
hallucinogens. The study, conducted last year, surveyed 3,356 Halton
students in Grade 7 to OAC at 22 schools. Of the total, 69.6 per cent
reported using alcohol in the previous year. The Ontario survey recorded
67.5 per cent.

Twenty-eight per cent of respondents in Halton reported using tobacco,
compared to Ontario's 29.2 per cent. Marijuana users amounted to 26.3 per
cent, compared to 29.3 per cent for Ontario.

The Halton survey said greater drug use results from an increasing belief
that drugs pose little harm and that drug use is acceptable.

Lorraine Gold, a public health nurse for Halton's substance abuse prevention
program, said there are no significant differences between the Halton and
provincial statistics.

Nosal said the Halton study, released this week, will act as a wakeup call
to the community to deal with the drug problem.

He pointed to a survey from last November that showed better educated
parents underestimate young people's drug use.

"Look at the population of Halton, where there's a lot of education," Nosal
said.

The region will use both studies to raise awareness in Halton and to
re-evaluate anti-drug programs.

Burlington Councillor Lynda Schreiber said she was among the parents who
underestimated drug use in Halton. "The drug subculture is not portrayed in
the media and elsewhere as being in the likes of Oakville and Burlington.

"I really thought that given the standard of income and standard of parental
education ... I'm just surprised there are that many students trying
things."

Schreiber was particularly concerned about the drug experimentation of OAC
students.

"As a parent, I had hoped students had stopped experimenting by then and
were more focussed on their education."

Councillors yesterday endorsed the Halton survey as a tool for assessing the
relevant community programs.