STUDY: PARENTAL GUIDANCE DIPS AS DRUGS ENTER KID'S WORLD

WASHINGTON - Just as young teenagers are becoming more exposed to drugs,
their parents are losing influence over their lives, according to a new
survey that suggests ages 12 and 13 are critical years in the fight against
drug use. Few 12-year-olds know how to buy marijuana or know someone who has
used hard drugs, but about three times as many do by the time they are 13,
according to the survey from Columbia University's National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse.

"In no other year does a child's access to drugs and attitude about drugs
shift so precipitously," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., the center's president
and secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in the Carter administration.

The survey also found that teens think the drug problem is considerably
worse than their teachers and especially their principals do. For instance,
78 percent of teens say their schools are not drug free; just 18 percent of
principals agree.

And while only 15 percent of high school principals say the school drug
problem is getting worse, half of students and 41 percent of teachers
believe it is.

"Principals make monkeys of themselves as they reveal their see no evil,
hear no evil, speak no evil posture," Califano said.

The annual survey found for the fourth consecutive year, teens said drugs
were the most important problem they face. And the percentage of high school
students who report drugs are used, sold and kept at their schools continued
to inch up, rising to 78 percent this year from 72 percent in 1996.

Overall, 41 percent of 17-year-olds said they had smoked marijuana, while 39
percent said they drank and 23 percent said they smoked in the previous 30
days.

Among 12-year-olds, 9 percent reported drinking in the past month, while
just 1 percent said they had smoked recently and 2 percent reported using
marijuana.

The survey found those rates increased most sharply between ages 14 and 16,
yet attitudes and exposure to drugs change earlier, with the most dramatic
differences between 12- and 13-year-olds.

More than three times as many 13-year-olds said they wouldn't report a
student they saw using drugs.

A 13-year-old is less afraid of getting caught using illegal drugs and
relies less on parents - and more on friends - in making important
decisions. The survey also concluded:

Teens who regularly attend religious services are much less likely to smoke
cigarettes, use marijuana or hang out with people who drink and use drugs.

Teens who have never smoked marijuana are more likely to eat dinner every
night with their parents and to rely on their parents' opinions. Pot smokers
are more likely to hang out with friends after school and less likely to
listen to music or do homework after school.

The telephone survey was conducted in May, June and July with 1,000
teenagers, 824 teachers and 822 principals. The margin of error for teens
was plus or minus 3 percentage points; for teachers and principals it was
3.5 percentage points.

Checked-by: Don Beck