TEEN DRUG USE STABILIZES BUT OVERALL RATE STILL HIGH, STUDY FINDS

Teen drug use has stabilized after years on the rise, the government
reported Friday, though it's still much higher than in the early 1990s.

Drug use rose through most of this decade after the intense prevention
efforts of the '80s were relaxed, researchers say. But now schools, parents
and TV are again focused on the dangers, and researchers say teens are
again getting the message.

The annual report has now marked two straight years of steady -- and in
some cases, dropping -- drug and alcohol use, suggesting that the rising
trend truly has been stemmed.

"Last year we said there was a 'glimmer of hope,' " said Donna Shalala,
secretary of health and human services. "Today, that glimmer of hope is not
only still with us, it has actually grown."

The survey of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders also found more adolescents
disapprove of drug use. And, in a particularly bright spot, younger
teenagers are even less likely to use drugs than last year.

"It's the best news we've had to give the country for some years now," said
veteran lead researcher Lloyd Johnston of the University of Michigan.

Teen drug use became a serious problem in the late 1960s, peaking in 1979.
It then fell through the 1980s, hitting a low in 1991 and 1992 before
beginning to climb again.

Johnston suggested a cyclical pattern: When use was lower, teens saw fewer
peers suffering from the effect of drugs.

"They weren't seeing the consequences," he said.

At the same time, reduced drug use in the late 1980s allowed the news
media, parents and schools to relax and cut back on prevention efforts, he
said. Federal spending on prevention remained stagnant through the early
and mid- 1990s.

"All the institutions that might be influencing young people were tiring of
the issue," he said.

Now, he and others suggested, teens are again hearing more anti-drug
messages and seeing the effects of drug use on others.

"America's team effort is starting to pay off," said Barry McCaffrey,
director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He promised the
nation would not let down its efforts again.

Still, nine in 10 high school seniors say it's easy to get marijuana, and
the number using is still high, said Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy
Project, which supports relaxation of drug laws.

About 22 percent of eighth-graders and almost half of high school seniors
reported smoking pot at least once, the study said.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski