SURVEY: DRUG ACCESS RISES AT 13

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Just as young teen-agers
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 that for the fourth consecutive year, teens
said drugs were the most important problem they face. And the
percentage of high school students who report that 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. Twice as many 13-year-olds as have no adult at home after
school.

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.

- --Teens who use one substance are more likely to use another: Smokers
are more likely to drink and use marijuana; pot users are more likely
to drink.

The telephone survey was conducted in May, June and July with 1,000
teen-agers, 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: Patrick Henry