ALABAMA STUDENT DRUG USE IS BELOW NATIONAL AVERAGE

Although illegal drug and alcohol use is below the national
average, the results of a recent survey might still be disturbing
to some.

A statewide survey released by the Alabama Department of Education
found that 21 percent of students in grades six through 12 had used an
illegal drug at least once during the past year. That figure is 3
percent lower than the national average, according to a department
press release.

Almost half those students - 47 percent - drank alcohol, a figure that
was also 3 percent below the national average, according to the PRIDE
Survey conducted of 262,050 students during the 2003-2004 school year.

The PRIDE Survey is widely used to determine the extent and nature of
violent activities and illegal drug and alcohol use among adolescents,
according to the press release.

Of the 46,601 sixth-graders who were surveyed, almost 12 percent said
they used cigarettes and almost 16 percent said they used beer during
the past year. Most of those who drank beer reported getting "very
high or bombed" when they drank, according to the survey results.

Almost 5 percent of sixth-graders said they had used marijuana in the
past year. More than 2 percent said they had used cocaine, and 2
percent said they had used hallucinogens.

Alabama students fall above the national average in one category,
cigarette smoking. "The survey showed E while 32 percent of students
in Alabama reported tobacco use in the past year, this level is higher
compared to the 30 percent reported by students nationwide," according
to the press release.

"Ironically, the survey shows a large gap between what parents think
their children are doing, what they are actually doing - and more
importantly - when and where they're doing it," according to the press
release.