TEEN DRUG USE ON RISE - SURVEY

Today's teenagers roll more reefers and munch more magic mushrooms,
according to survey findings released yesterday.

The Nova Scotia Student Drug Use 1998 survey shows now, more than ever,
drugs are a big part of growing up, with use on the rise among students in
junior and senior high throughout the 1990s.

"I think definitely we have to pay attention to this. The numbers are now
very high," said principal investigator Dr. Christiane Poulin, of Dalhousie
University's department of community health and epidemiology.

As in similar studies from past years, alcohol remains the drug of choice,
with 56.7 per cent of students saying they drank in the past year. That's
up from 54.1 per cent in 1996 and 50.6 per cent in 1991.

But, it's cannabis, the weed that rose to new heights of popularity in the
1960s, that's making a resurgence. Between 1996 and 1998, cannabis use -
including marijuana and hashish - rose from 32.1 per cent to 37.7 per cent,
far higher than the 17.2 per cent of teenagers who reported using it in 1991.

When asked if they smoked cigarettes in the past year, 36.1 per cent of
students reported they did, up slightly from 34.8 per cent two years ago
and a big jump from 26 per cent in 1991.

Use of magic mushrooms, containing the drugs psilocybin and mescaline, was
also up, as was consumption of cocaine, tranquilizers, and stimulants. LSD
and glue-sniffing lost favour.

While the percentage of drug-free students remained stable at 35 per cent
since 1996, the findings show more students take multiple drugs. In seven
years, the number of students who smoke, drink, and use cannabis doubled to
24.9 per cent.

Poulin was at a loss to explain the increase.

"We don't know why that's happening. Part of the theory is that it's just a
broad societal trend; adolescents are using substances in a different way
than they were in `91," she said.

The survey shows drugs lead to risky behaviour.

About half of sexually active teenagers said they had unplanned sex while
under the influence. And 7.8 per cent said they drove within an hour of
downing two or more drinks. Even more, 27. 3 per cent, said they accepted a
lift from someone they knew was drunk.

More than 3,500 Nova Scotia students from grades 7, 9, 10 and 12 responded
to the survey. All responses were provided in confidence.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski