TEENS' USE OF INJECTED DRUGS RISES

Survey Finds Record Set For Meth, Heroin

The use of injected drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine and
steroids is at an all-time high for high school seniors statewide,
according to a survey released Monday by the Indiana Prevention
Resource Center.

The number of students injecting drugs has increased from 1.8 percent
in 2001 to 2.2 percent in 2006.

Statistics for the northeast part of Indiana, which includes Adams,
Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and
Whitley counties, mirrored the statewide average.

"I was surprised by the injected drug use that was elevated by
12th-graders," said Ruth Gassman, executive director of the center.

Rich Beck, chief of the Allen County Sheriff Department's Reserve,
said the statistics on injected drug use seem accurate for the area,
based on the number of heroin-related arrests the department has made
in the past year.

The Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University sent
surveys across the state to 383 public and private schools that
volunteered to administer the annual survey to 131,017 students.
Fifteen schools in northeast Indiana participated and 6,979 students
took the survey, Gassman said.

The schools chose which students to survey, Gassman said. The purpose
of the survey was to measure alcohol, tobacco and other drug use on a
statewide and local basis for planning and evaluation of prevention
programs. The survey did not include individual county statistics,
and Gassman would not release the names of the schools that participated.

Among 12th-graders, the study showed an increase in binge drinking,
which Beck said is also the case in Allen County. The sheriff's
department is trying to combat underage drinkingwith the Sheriff's
Teenage Alcohol Reduction Team, or START.

A couple of years ago, when the sheriff's office would respond to a
loud party, teenagers would see police officers at the door and run
out the back and climb out the windows, eventually getting into their
cars while intoxicated, Beck said. Now, four officers are sent to the
house to surround the area, arrest youths and prevent them from
driving drunk, he said.

One of the positive findings in the study included a decrease in
marijuana use statewide. Except for 12th-graders, the percentage of
students who reported using marijuana in northeast Indiana was lower
than the state average in every grade.

"I think we can attribute that to our primary prevention efforts in
the schools and in the communities," Gassman said.

The reported use of Ecstasy among 11th- and 12th-graders statewide
increased, and 12th-graders were also more likely to report having
used heroin and psychedelics during the past month and to have used
Rohypnol during the past year. Much of the concern surrounding
Rohypnol is its abuse as a date-rape drug. Reported use of inhalants
and cocaine decreased among sixth- and eighth-graders statewide.

Students were also asked in the survey about the consequences they
experienced as a result of using alcohol or drugs. More than one in
10 students in grades eight through 12 reported having missed school
as a consequence of drug use and an even greater percentage of
students in grades seven through 12 reported having performed poorly
on a test or project as a result of drug use.

More than one in five high school students reported riding in a car
with someone who had been drinking alcohol. About 16 percent of
juniors and 20 percent of seniors reported driving a car while drunk.

The study found that students involved in activities such as playing
on a sports team, participating in arts, music or drama programs,
supervised activities at youth center or after school classes were
less likely to use cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana.

Schools will receive their individual results at the end of the month
and are at liberty to decide whether to release them publicly, Gassman said.

Survey Results

The Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University
Bloomington released statistics Monday on drug and alcohol use among
adolescents in Indiana. The following are statewide statistics and
numbers from northeast Indiana, which includes Adams, Allen, DeKalb,
Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley counties, on
the percentage of students who have ever done the drug listed.

Injected Drugs: Heroin, Methamphetamines And Steroids

Grade+Indiana+Northeast region

Sixth+0.9+0.5

Ninth+1.8+2.0

12th+2.2+2.1

Marijuana

Grade+Indiana+Northeast region

Sixth+2.9+1.5

Ninth+22.5+18.9

12th+37.1+39.1

Cocaine

Grade+Indiana+Northeast region

Sixth+0.6+0.6

Ninth+4.4+4.6

12th: 8.6+9.7

Source: The Indiana Prevention Resource Center