IU STUDY - INJECTION DRUG USE UP

Alcohol, Marijuana Use Continue Declines

While usage of gateway drugs marijuana and cigarettes are decreasing
among sixth to 12th graders, use of harder drugs is on the rise for
Indiana 11th and 12th graders, according to a recent IU survey. The
study also revealed increased after-school participation was the key
factor in steering young adults away from drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

The Indiana Prevention Resource Center released this week the 16th
Annual Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use by Indiana
Children and Adolescents. The study collected data from about 131,000
students in grades six to 12 in Indiana public and private schools.

Ruth Gassman, executive director of the Indiana Prevention Center,
analyzed the results and said the state is doing a fairly good job of
preventing gateway drug use, but they need to stop those who have
"graduated from gateway drugs to poly-drug use."

A startling result was high school seniors are injecting drugs at an
all-time high on a monthly and lifelong basis. The most injected
drugs are heroin, methamphetamine and steroids, which Gassman said
she is concerned about.

"This finding is most alarming as injection drug use is strongly
correlated with transmission of secondary infections such as HIV,"
Gassman said.

Though heroin, ecstasy and psychedelic drug use is on the rise among
11th and 12th graders in Indiana, Gassman said it's not an epidemic
since it is still a very low percentage of those tested. Only 254 out
of the 131,017 students surveyed admitted heroin usage, for example.

The study found a pattern of drug use where there was a more direct
path from one drug to the next. Twelve to 14 year olds typically
start with cigarettes; move on to alcohol and then marijuana.

"You don't just wake up and say, 'I'm going to inject heroin today,'"
Gassman said. "You start with cigarettes and marijuana."

Marijuana is declining for the 10th straight year among all grades.
Especially large drops come in the sixth to ninth grade, where usage
has been cut in half over the last 10 years.

Cigarette smoking was down too, but smokeless tobacco was on the
rise, which Gassman attributed to young people not understanding
chewing tobacco is still damaging.

Gassman was disheartened by the table which showed the negative
effects drug and alcohol usage had on the lives of the young adults
tested. Missing school, damaging property and getting in trouble with
police and parents were all accredited to drug or alcohol usage.

"What packs a punch (from the table) is the variety of different
consequences and the prevalence," she said. "It's eye-opening, the
repercussions of alcohol and drug use."

Alcohol use continued to go down among 10th to 12th graders, but
binge drinking was reportedly higher among 12th graders. This may
have contributed to the alarming statistic that 26 percent of 12th
graders admitted to having ridden in a car with someone who was
intoxicated. A third of 12th graders admitted to getting nauseated or
vomiting from drug or alcohol usage.

Violence had the strongest correlation to alcohol usage, with 20
percent of high school-age students admitting to getting into a fight
or argument due to being intoxicated.

Results show that getting young adults active in sports, arts and
other after school activities is a determining factor in lowering
their alcohol, tobacco and marijuana drug usage. Results were also
that the more students participated, the lower their drug usage was
which encouraged Gassman.

"These findings support the value of after-school programming as a
strategy to prevent or reduce illegal substance use among
adolescents," she said.