SMOKING, DRUG USE ON THE RISE AMONG YOUTHS -- STUDY

An increasing number of school-age Canadians are smoking dope or bullying
their classmates, suggests a vast new Health Canada study that paints a
sometimes-lurid picture of the country's youth.

Many young people also feel unsafe in their schools, while still more are
skipping classes, suggests the study, to be released next month.

The snapshot of life for kids from Grades 6 to 10 indicates that
anti-tobacco campaigns have failed to curb teenage smoking rates.

And while fewer students are drinking regularly, a larger percentage report
having been ``really drunk'' at least twice, the national survey of more
than 11,000 children found.

One of the most significant findings is that marijuana use climbed
significantly between 1994 and 1998, with almost half of Grade 10 students
now saying they have smoked up.

``From what I hear, it's easily available, it's high quality, it's
home-grown often and it's quite cheap,'' said Mary Johnston, a Health Canada
spokesperson.

``The consensus is now that marijuana is a health risk: physically, socially
and psychologically.''

The report on the survey, called Trends in the Health of Canadian Youth, is
to be released early in October.

But Southam News obtained details of the research after an article about it
appeared in the magazine of the Ontario College of Teachers.

The study should be must reading for teachers and parents, said Joe
Atkinson, the college's deputy registrar.

``For parents especially, you have to ask the question: Your kids are not
home, where are they?''

Such surveys are conducted every four years by Health Canada, part of a
World Health Organization project.

They sometimes result in policy initiatives by the federal government, said
Johnson.

The latest study, conducted last year, found that 44 per cent of Grade 10
boys and 41 per cent of girls said they had used marijuana three times or
more. That's up from 30 per cent and 27 per cent respectively in 1994.

Cocaine use is also up slightly in that age group, from three per cent for
both boys and girls in 1994 to six and five per cent respectively in 1998.

The percentage of students who said they drank beer, wine or liquor dropped
over the four years. But the proportion of Grade 10 students who said they'd
been ``really drunk'' at least twice jumped about five points to 43 per cent
for both boys and girls in 1998.

Bullying is also on the rise with 43 per cent of boys and 35 per cent of
girls in Grade 8 saying they've been victimized. That's up from 36 and 29
per cent in 1994. But the increase may simply mean that more kids are
reporting incidents of bullying because of publicity surrounding school
violence, said Johnston.

Other findings of the survey include:

- - From seven to 13 per cent of boys in Grades 6 to 10 report feeling unsafe
at school, while 10 per cent of Grade 9 boys said their friends carry
weapons. The question was not asked in 1994;

- - In another new question on the survey, 29 per cent of Grade 6 boys said
they'd skipped classes, 21 per cent in Grade 10;

- - More than 60 per cent of boys and girls in Grade 10 report having tried
smoking, while 23 per cent of Grade 10 girls said they smoke every day.
That's about the same percentage as in 1994, despite a barrage of
anti-smoking campaigns and programs aimed at youth.