SURVEY - BEDFORD DRUG USE AVERAGE

BEDFORD - About 28 percent of middle and high school students in the
county's school system used alcohol within a 30-day period, according
to a new survey.

About 12 percent also reported using marijuana in that period, while
about 8 percent said they had used other drugs such as inhalants,
ecstasy, LSD, cocaine or heroin.

The survey, which sampled 2,745 students in the sixth, eighth, 10th
and 12th grades, was sponsored by the Bedford Community Coalition, a
nearly 2-year-old alliance of more than a dozen public and private
agencies.

It was conducted last November, partly to help the coalition determine
the needs of the Bedford area.

"This will . help us plan what kind of services we need to have," said
Amanda Stanley, the coalition's director and a staff member at Bedford
Youth and Family Services.

The survey also indicates how the students have been exposed to drugs
over their lifetimes. About 51 percent have tried alcohol at some
point; 24 percent, marijuana; and 20 percent, other drugs.

The highest rates of drug use were often among high school seniors.
About 49 percent said they had used alcohol in the last 30 days; about
24 percent, marijuana; and about 6 percent, other drugs.

Those results for seniors are similar to the rates for seniors in
Lynchburg City Schools, as well as 12th-graders across the country.
That's according to a 2002 study conducted by the Hill City's school
system and researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"My impression (is), and the numbers tell us, that we're right about
in line with what's happening nationwide," Stanley said.

She presented the survey results to the Bedford County Board of
Supervisors earlier this week. One supervisor, Gary Lowry, who also
manages the county's alternative school, said he was struck by the
drug use rates among younger students.

"It's surprising how young kids are when they start fooling with
alcohol and drugs. They're getting younger and younger," he said.

Lowry said the survey shows the need for more discussion among county
officials - and among local families - about curbing drug use.

"I think all families should talk about (the survey) with their kids,
and grownups should listen to what their kids have to say about it,"
he said. "I think it should be one of those over the (kitchen) table
discussions."

But Lowry was also skeptical of some data collected in the survey
related to drug use during the school day. The survey says about 14
percent of students have been drunk or high at school in the past year.

"I think that's just kids boasting and bragging," he said. "That would
be hard for me to believe. We do too much interaction with them, to
believe that the number's really that high."

One senior at Jefferson Forest High School had a different view on the
14 percent figure.

"Surprisingly, I do think that's pretty close. It's sad to say, but I
do believe it," senior Michael Claudio said. He also said a number of
the percentages for drug use among 12th-graders seemed about right.

Another JF student expressed more skepticism, in particular over the
survey's assertion that 41 percent of sophomores had used alcohol
within a 30-day period. Junior Meghan Rickert noted that some students
often lie on surveys.

"They like to make up stuff to put it off," she said. "They'll try to
make it sound bad."

Stanley, the coalition director, said the company that analyzed the
survey data had several methods for weeding out invalid surveys,
including ones in which students lied.

For example, 156 students reported using a drug that doesn't actually
exist, so their surveys were eliminated. The company also looked out
for logical inconsistencies in surveys, which could indicate students
were filling in bubbles without reading the questions.

Stanley is scheduled to present the survey results to the Bedford
County School Board on Thursday and to Bedford City Council on April
12. She has also spoken to a few civic groups and is willing to meet
with others.

"We can be so much more effective in preventing substance abuse and
promoting positive development of youth in Bedford, if we're all
working together," she said.