8TH-GRADERS IN INDIANA MORE LIKELY TO DO DRUGS

Eighth-graders in Marion County and throughout the state are more
likely to smoke, drink and use marijuana than their counterparts in
the rest of the nation, a new study finds.

Drug-prevention experts here know the problem exists. But they don't
know why.

The high rate of use may stem from scant dollars for prevention, more
accessible drugs and the lack of a community network to address teen
drug use, they say.

"I wish we had a better handle on some of the specific reasons," said
Randy Miller, executive director of Drug Free Marion County. "It would
make it easier for us to address and reduce it. That's part of the
struggle."

While marijuana use in this age group has increased across the
country, the numbers are dramatically higher here.

About 17 percent of Marion County eighth-graders used marijuana in the
past month, compared with 8 percent nationally, according to a survey
conducted by the National Institutes of Health.

The gap between local and national statistics narrows for high school
seniors. That may reflect Indianapolis' high dropout rate rather than
any real distinction in teens of that age because those who drop out
are more likely to abuse substances, said Nancy Beals, prevention
project coordinator for Drug Free Marion County.

In an effort to turn the statistics around, Drug Free Marion County
will apply for a federal grant to beef up prevention starting with
sixth-graders, Miller said. If his group is awarded the $125,000
five-year grant, it would more than double what the group has to spend
on prevention annually.

"We have made marijuana a priority for the next three years because
our numbers are so different," Beals said.

Marijuana prevention is also a national priority, said Arthur Dean,
chairman and chief executive officer of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions
of America. More eighth-graders now report using marijuana in the past
month than smoking cigarettes.

Many young teens believe marijuana can do little harm, Dean said. The
movement to legalize marijuana for medical use that has passed in 15
states and the District of Columbia also sends a message that
marijuana is not a serious drug, experts say.

"Marion County is on the leading edge of the increase," Dean said. "We
believe it is the lack of resources particularly for prevention
programs and the mixed messages that young people are getting."

None of those factors fully explains why 13- and 14-year-olds in
Indianapolis are so much more likely to use marijuana.

In Ohio, teens smoke marijuana less than their peers nationally, and
Columbus teens are no exception, said Allison Sharer, assistant
director of the Drug-Free Action Alliance, a statewide group based in
Columbus.

"What I would put that down to is quite an amazing system of
prevention services here," Sharer said.

That system consists of prevention efforts from numerous entities,
such as schools and community agencies. Calculating how much money
goes into these efforts is impossible because the initiatives do not
fall under a single budget, Sharer said.

In the tight economy, however, many of these agencies have pruned
drug-prevention efforts.

"What will be interesting is what will happen in the next few years as
the prevention system is being picked apart," Sharer said.

In Indianapolis, there's not much of a safety net to cut, those
involved with drug prevention here say.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department runs several programs
geared toward teens that aim to prevent not just drug use but also
violence, said Kendale Adams, IMPD public information officer.

But drug prevention can come from many sources, he
said.

"The Police Department is one branch of that tree, but there are other
branches of that tree that need to be fully explored so we're
combating this as a community," Adams said.

"We lack a coordinated effort by a single entity, a clearinghouse of
sorts, that collaborates on programs for youth," he said. "I think
that's something that the Indianapolis community, we have kind of
missed the mark on."

One barrier is the size of the city, Miller said. The grant that Drug
Free Marion County hopes to win would pilot a program with public
schools and other agencies in the northeast quadrant of the city.

If the program sees results after five years, it will serve as a model
that could be applied throughout the county, he said.

Reaching children through the schools could be part of the answer,
said Neil Moore, executive director of the Indiana Criminal Justice
Institute. Currently, prevention may receive little attention in the
classroom.

"We suspect that the prevention lessons in school are not as strong as
they could be," he said. "If it's a choice between do I do 15 more
minutes of math or 15 minutes more of prevention, chances are that
prevention would take a back seat."

Nor do the prevention lessons come from home all the time, experts
say.

Marijuana has become common in certain communities, Beals said. One
woman, who was trying to quit, recounted to Beals that she gave a
friend a ride as a favor. In exchange, the woman was given bag of marijuana.

"That just struck me as it's really that entrenched into our culture,"
Beals said.

Step-Up's Youth at Risk program, which focuses on incarcerated youths,
recently conducted a survey of about 100 teens, asking them about the
first drug they used. Marijuana topped the list -- before alcohol or
tobacco.

While youths in rural areas are more likely to use methamphetamine or
prescription drugs, urban youths reported that marijuana is the
easiest drug to get, said Jamie Roberts, director of the Youth at Risk
program.

"Kids just know how to get their hands on it a little more so than
alcohol," Roberts said. "They can't go into a store and buy alcohol.
It's a little easier; if one person knew someone who sold weed, they
could get it from their peers. Within their social network, that's
what's there."

The IMPD's Adams, however, says marijuana is no more accessible here
than anywhere else. Narcotics officers used to be based out of the
Downtown headquarters, but a few years ago the department sent them
back to the district offices to try to combat street sales of drugs.

Still, Adams said, he knew that would not erase the
problem.

"There's no silver bullet, no one program out here that will solve all
the issues."