GIRLS GOING TO POT: STUDY

Landmark Survey Shows More High School Females Trying Marijuana

NOT all high school kids are getting the message -- just say no to
drugs. More and more teenage girls are trying pot for the first time
but the number of teenage boys trying weed is still higher.

"In males, it's about 31%. In females, it's 28% that indicated use at
least once in their life," said Dr. Edward Adlaf, senior researcher at
the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

The results are part of the 2003 Ontario Student Drug Survey, which
Adlaf co-authored. The survey was released yesterday.

It's the longest ongoing study of adolescent drug use in Canada and is
based on 14 surveys every two years since 1977.

Some 6,616 students from Grades 7-12 at 126 schools across the
province participated in the survey. In Eastern Ontario, 1,000 youth
took part, including students from Ottawa, Renfrew and Lanark-area
schools.

"Rates were very close to the provincial average,"Adlaf
said.

The survey also shows binge drinking -- having five or more drinks in
one sitting -- has stayed at the same level, with no decline from 26%
in 2003.

Older Teens Binge-Drink

Adlaf said it's the older teens, those in Grades 11 and 12, who are
binge-drinking more often, with 6% of Grade 7 students reporting high
drinking compared to 45% of Grade 11 and 12 students.

"The students are older, they become more experimental and there's a
lot more exposure (to alcohol)," Adlaf said.

Use of ecstasy in youth has dropped from 6% to about 4% between 2001
and 2003. Also, the escalating trend of illicit drug use which began
in the early 1990s has subsided.

"Raising awareness is one important influence," Adlaf said, adding
media attention to deaths related to ecstasy has helped get the
message out on the dangers of the drug.

But while the coverage heightened awareness of ecstasy, he said there
isn't enough talk about the effects of cocaine use.

While cocaine and crack use decreased in the 1980s, it's on an upward
trend and has been since 1999.

Adlaf attributes this trend to perceptions that the dangers of illicit
drugs -- except ecstasy -- have been declining, while the availability
of those drugs increases.

He said it was equally important to monitor areas which are showing
improvements.

"One example would be cigarette use," he said, explaining 14% of teens
surveyed smoke daily, while 22% did in 2001.