DRUG, ALCOHOL USE SURPRISES OFFICIALS

Survey Shows More High School Students
Partake Than Educators Thought

BOSTON -- Drug, alcohol and tobacco use continues to be a serious
problem among high school students in Massachusetts, according to a
survey released yesterday.

While marijuana smoking is falling slightly from 1995 figures, 39
percent of students still say they have used marijuana at least once
in the last 12 months. And 69 percent of students said they have drunk
alcohol at least once in the last year.

Another finding: 13 percent have used either prescription steroids or
legal, performance enhancing nutrients, like Creatine and
Androstenedione.

The survey, prepared by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic
Association and Boston University, included 1,500 students from 14
high schools across the state. Some of the conclusions alarmed public
school officials on the SouthCoast.

"I guess it's a good wake-up call for all of us," said Dennis Flynn,
superintendent of the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District.
"It's good they did the study. It gives us something to take another
look at."

Wayne LaGue, superintendent of Wareham schools, said he didn't believe
that 39 percent of students use marijuana, based on his experiences in
Wareham.

Mr. LaGue was particularly astonished by the findings on steroid use.
"I find that frightening," he said. "I didn't realize the numbers were
that large."

The study, released yesterday at a news conference in Boston, is
conducted every four years by MIAA and Boston University. The schools
are not identified.

The survey did contain some hopeful news on tobacco use. A total of 39
percent of students have smoked cigarettes at least once in the past
12 months, but that's down from 44 percent in 1995. Eight percent have
used smokeless tobacco, a 43 percent drop from 1995.

Robert Baldwin, head basketball coach at Fairhaven High School and an
assistant principal at Hastings Middle School in Fairhaven, questioned
the survey's conclusions on steroid consumption.

"It seems kind of high," Mr. Baldwin said. "Maybe I'm naive. But
there's enough education about the ills of steroid use."

Leonard Zaichkowsky, education professor at Boston University, said
it's clear that anti-smoking programs are working in the schools. "But
the level of alcohol and drug use point to the need for expansion and
replication of programs that involve teachers and coaches working
one-on-one with students to promote responsible behavior," he said.

School officials said alcohol, tobacco and drug use continues to be
seductively portrayed in the movies and by industry advertising. They
added that peer pressure can be intense at high schools and drive up
rates of alcohol and drug experimentation. The survey also found some
disturbing long-term trends: The percent of students using marijuana
has more than doubled since 1991, while the percent of students who
smoke cigarettes has tripled.

Joseph Oliver, headmaster at New Bedford High School, said the
statistics are startling.

"I'm surprised there's been such a significant increase," Mr. Oliver
said. "There are a lot more awareness programs today and a lot more
early-intervention programs today."

James Gibney, superintendent of Fall River schools, said he believed
the numbers of alcohol and cigarette use, but he doubted the findings
on drugs. Mr. Gibney said some of the students might be joking when
they take the survey.

"From what we gather, drug use seems to be down, but alcohol use is
up," Mr. Gibney said.

Tobacco use among students might be even higher than 39 percent, he
added. The good economy is creating a lot of part-time jobs for
students and providing them with more money to buy cigarettes and
smokeless tobacco, he said.

"In spite of all our efforts to convince them of the harm of
cigarettes, we're seeing an alarming increase," he said.

Some further findings of the survey:

- -- Twelve percent of students said they used psychedelic drugs, down
slightly from 1995.

- -- Four percent used cocaine, down from 5 percent in
1995.

- -- Twenty-six percent of students who said they smoke marijuana said
they have used the drug more than 40 times in the last year.

- -- Fifty-seven percent of students who said they drink alcohol said
they had their first drink before they started high school.

- -- Twenty-two percent of students who said they smoke cigarettes said
they started smoking before high school.