SUBSTANCE ABUSE STILL A PROBLEM FOR ISLE STUDENTS

Substance abuse among students continues to be a significant problem in Hawaii,
but a leveling off of illicit drug use and lower use of alcohol and tobacco
among teens over the past several years are "encouraging" trends, according to
a recent state survey.

The use of alcohol, tobacco and most illicit drugs have shown recent declines
among students statewide while use of marijuana and Ecstasy are being used
more, according to Hawaii Health Surveys 2000 - 2002, a pamphlet being sent
home this month with students statewide in grades six through 12.

The survey, prepared by the state departments of Health and Education, was
given anonymously to sixth - , eighth - , 10th - and 12th - grade students. It
asked questions about alcohol, drug use and other behaviors. The results
represent the responses from 27,999 students - whose parents gave written
permission for their participation - from 181 public schools and 34 private
schools in the state.

Although alcohol use is down, it is still clearly the drug of choice among
students.

The percentage of seniors who say they have used alcohol at least once in their
life dropped significantly in 2000 after remaining steady for nine years, and
it continued to drop in 2002. But 43 percent of seniors surveyed statewide in
2002 say they drank alcohol at least once in the previous 30 days, the same
percentage as in 2000. And on the Big Island, 55 percent of the seniors
surveyed say they have had a drink in the past 30 days, down from 57 percent
two years ago.

Among eighth - graders statewide, more than one in five reported drinking
alcohol in a 30 - day period in both the 2000 and 2002 surveys, though the
numbers declined slightly last year. Among sixth - graders, the number
reporting drinking in a 30 - day period was down from 9.1 percent in 2000 to
7.8 percent last year.

Marijuana use remained fairly steady over the recent two - year period among
all four grades surveyed, with 18 percent of sophomores reporting using
marijuana within the previous 30 days, and 21 percent of seniors. The rate was
up slightly for sophomores and down slightly for seniors from 2000.

But the number of daily marijuana users statewide rose from 4.6 percent of
seniors in 2000 to 4.8 percent in 2002, while the number of daily marijuana
users among sophomores increased to 4.4 percent, a 29 percent jump from 2000.

On the Big Island, meanwhile, 8.4 percent of seniors said they smoked marijuana
daily in 2002 (meaning at least 20 of the previous 30 days), up slightly from
2000, and 27 percent of Big Island seniors said they smoked marijuana at least
once in the past 30 days in 2002, down slightly from 2000.

Almost all of the surveys reported higher usage of illicit drugs, alcohol and
tobacco among Big Island students. "It's always been higher on the Big Island,"
said Renee Pearson, a University of Hawaii at Manoa speech professor who wrote
the report. In other examples:

*- The number of daily tobacco users is down among Big Island seniors from 16.9
percent to 12.3 percent, but that is still a significantly larger number that
the statewide average of 8.5 percent.

*- The number of daily alcohol users is down from 5.6 percent in 2000 to 4.9
percent in 2002 among Big Island seniors. Statewide, 3.3 percent of seniors say
they use alcohol daily, down from 3.5 percent.

*- More than a quarter of the Big Island's students who filled out the surveys
said they came to school under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at least
once in the past 12 months. Statewide, the number was 19 percent.

*- The number of seniors who said they used tobacco in the past 30 days dropped
sharply, from 30 percent in 2000 to 23.8 percent in 2002. But statewide it's 19
percent.

*- 2.3 percent of Big Island seniors said they used methamphetamine in the past
30 days, compared with 1 percent in 2000. Statewide it was 1.8 percent in 2002.

Methamphetamine use is slowing among students in Hawaii. Percentages dropped
among 10th - and 12th - graders in 2000 and held steady in 2002. Percentages of
students who say they have used the drug, also known as ice, at least once in
their life, are 2 percent, 4 percent and 5 percent in grades eight, 10 and 12,
respectively, which are 50 percent lower than the rates in 1989.

While Ecstasy use increased statewide, it also is one of the few drugs less
popular among Big Island students than elsewhere in the state. The levels of
Ecstasy use are now at mainland levels in grades eight, 10 and 12 in Hawaii.
But the number of Big Island seniors who said they used the drug Ecstasy in the
past 30 days was lower than the statewide average. Big Island Ecstasy users
dropped significantly from 3.9 percent in 2000 to 2.3 percent in 2002, while
statewide the percentage was 2.5 percent in 2002.

The survey estimated that at least one in 10 students among those in sixth
through 12th grades - more than 11,000 students - needs some substance abuse
treatment, with Hawaii and Maui counties leading the state in percentage of
students needing treatment.

Hawaii County's treatment needs have declined, but there still is a critical
need for more treatment, Pearson said. "A number of high schools on the Big
Island need treatment centers," she said. Students are more inclined to get the
help they need from school - based centers, she said.

Part of the decline in alcohol and tobacco use was attributed to several
publicized "stings" by law enforcement officials in the past two years at
stores that sell cigarettes and alcohol to minors, according to the report.

The survey was conducted with federal Tobacco Settlement Funds won in a lawsuit
against cigarette manufacturers, and Substance Prevention and Treatment block
grant, Pearson said. Parental permission is required before a survey can be
counted, which often results in a low percentage of returns from the
potentially highest - risk groups.

"As in any survey it's an underrepresentation," she said. Lower grade levels
generally return a higher percentage of surveys, she said. Survey return rates
might be as high as 90 percent in sixth grade, while some high school grades
might return only 20 percent to 30 percent, which is "alarming to me," she
said.

Low percentages of returns can invalidate the statistics for some communities
seeking funding for in - school drug and alcohol prevention and treatment
programs, she said, because a few non - responding students can reduce the
percentage of returns to below the threshold for documenting a drug problem.

Laupahoehoe, with one of the smallest K - 12 student populations in the state,
often has this problem. "They want the programs but can't document the
problem," Pearson said. That's why it's important for parents to sign the
permission forms and have their children participate in the anonymous survey.
"It's usually those smaller communities that really need the funding," she
said.

This month and next, schools will be sending home information and survey forms
for parents of students in grades six through 12 to sign allowing their
children to participate in the 2003 survey.