REPORT: ILLEGAL DRUG USE AMONG YOUTHS IN DECLINE

Fewer Are Abusing Pot, LSD And Ecstasy, But More Are Abusing Prescription
Drugs, The Government Says.

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.

"It is encouraging news that more American youths are getting the
message that drugs are dangerous, including marijuana," Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said.

Wells Fargo

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 3
percentage points.

For youths 12 to 17, use of Ecstasy and LSD in the year leading up to
the survey dropped significantly - 41 percent for Ecstasy and 54
percent for LSD. The study, which also included adults, found that
overall nearly 20 million people 12 and older use illegal drugs.

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.

Rates of tobacco use, however, remained fairly constant among all age
groups. Almost 30 percent of people 12 and older reported that they
had used it in the past month, compared with 30.4 percent in 2002.

People 18 to 25 continued to have the highest rate of current use of
cigarettes - 40.2 percent, compared with 40.8 percent in 2002.

Among boys age 12 to 17, 11.9 percent reported current cigarette use,
down from 12.3 percent in 2002. There was a bigger dip among girls in
that age group. Some 12.5 percent reported they had smoked cigarettes
in the past month, compared with 13.6 in 2003.

Survey results on alcohol use showed little change in the number of
binge and heavy drinkers. About 54 million people 12 and older binged
- - five or more alcoholic drinks - at least once a month. Also, 16.1
million people were termed heavy drinkers, described as consuming five
or more drinks on at least five separate occasions in a month.

People 18 to 25 showed the highest prevalence of binge and heavy
drinking.

"Obviously, we have a long way to go when it comes to smoking and even
more so when for underage drinking," said Charles G. Curie,
administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. "It remains a stubborn and destructive problem."

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 over, 5 percent more people
took those drugs recreationally.

The study found that young people who were exposed to anti-drug
messages outside school took notice, with rates of current pot use 25
percent lower than those who did not get those messages.

And youths who believed their parents would strongly disapprove of
marijuana used it 80 percent less than others.