AGE 13 CRITICAL TIME IN ANTI-DRUG FIGHT

WASHINGTON - Few 12-year-olds know how to buy marijuana or know
someone who has used hard drugs. But that changes just one year later,
according to a survey released today that suggests the transition from
12 to 13 is a critical time in the battle against teen drug use.

Just as children are becoming more exposed to drugs, their parents are
losing influence over their lives, argues the survey from Columbia
University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

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

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

A 13-year-old is about three times as likely to know a teen who uses
hard drugs and to know how to buy drugs. More than three times as many
13-year-olds say they wouldn't report a student they saw using drugs.

"In no other year do teens' perceptions and attitudes shift so
markedly," the center concluded.

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 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 always eat
dinner 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 survey was conducted in May, June and July of 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