DRUG ABUSE FALLS AMONG U.S. YOUTHS, SURVEY FINDS

WASHINGTON - Fewer American youths are using marijuana, LSD and
Ecstasy, but more are abusing prescription drugs, the government
reported Thursday.

The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health also found that youths
and young adults are more aware of the risks of using pot.

The study did find a 5 percent decline in the number of 12- to
17-year-olds who say they ever have used marijuana. Among 12- and
13-year-olds, current marijuana smokers - those who said they used it
within a month of the survey - declined nearly 30 percent.

The survey was based on in-home interviews with 67,784 respondents age
12 and older. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus
three percentage points.

For youths 12 to 17, use of Ecstasy and LSD in the year leading up to
the survey dropped significantly - down 41 percent for Ecstasy and 54
percent for LSD.

But there was a 20 percent decline between 2002 and 2003 in the number
of youths described as "heavy users" of pot - meaning they smoke
daily or at least 20 days each month.

The study also found that more people had tried prescription pain
relievers who did not need them for medical reasons. The most striking
increase was a 15 percent rise in prescription drug abuse by people 18
to 25. In the broader population of 12 and older, 5 percent more took
those drugs recreationally.