DRUG USE DECLINES AMONG TEENS

WASHINGTON -- Teen drug use fell last year, with about one in 10 teenagers
using marijuana and other drugs, the government reported Wednesday.

Officials said the results are solid evidence that the United States has
turned a corner after rising drug use through the mid-1990s.

A survey found that 9.9 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds had used some sort
of drugs within the past month, down from 11.4 percent in 1997.

The survey results were released by the secretary of health and human
services, Donna Shalala, and Barry McCaffrey, the White House drug policy
adviser. "In the battle against illicit drugs we've turned the comer," Ms.
Shalala said, but she added, "We have a long way to go because more than a
million young people are dependent on drugs. As far as we're concerned,
that's a million too many."

Earlier reports signaling a leveling off of teen drug use have been greeted
with cautious optimism, but researchers are now confident that a real
decline is under way.

The portion of teens saying they had ever used drugs was also down, from
18.9 percent in 1997 to 16.4 percent last year. (AP)