RIDGE TEENS SCORE HIGH IN DRUG SURVEY

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows teens had the highest usage of drugs and the worst
attendance in school when interviewed for a new survey on Lower Mainland youth.

However, the survey's author questioned his own methodology and hoped the
project would be used as a starting point for more in-depth investigation.

Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows youths were part of a Lower Mainland survey
asking them to describe what kind of illegal drugs they're using and how
often they get high.

Written by Surrey-based Pacific Community Resources, a non-profit addiction
services organization, the survey randomly interviewed 329 local youths
between the ages of 12 to 24 last summer.

According to PCR's findings, in the last 30 days 55 per cent of Maple Ridge
and Pitt Meadows youth had smoked marijuana, 14 per cent said they had
taken methamphetamines, speed or ecstasy, 15 per cent had tried cocaine,
six per cent had used heroin, and 63.5 per cent drank alcohol.

The Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows sample had the highest usage rates (except
for alcohol) compared to the 1,936 youth in seven other Lower Mainland
communities who took part in the random survey.

Findings showed overall that drug use among youths is on the rise while the
age of youths first using drugs is dropping.

"When compared to other surveys, it appears more youth are trying marijuana
and other drugs at a younger age. Particularly troubling is the reported
first usages of harder drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and
ecstasy," the report says.

In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, the average age of youths who said they've
used heroin is 13 years old, while 14 years old was the average age for
cocaine and alcohol was first used at 12.

However, Tom Hetherington, the report's author cautions the numbers for
Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows might not paint an entirely accurate picture
of youth drug use in the community because of the "relatively small
community sample size."

He added the validity of the report was further weakened because all
answers from the questionnaire were entered as reported.

"For example," the report writes, "several respondents cited the first age
of drugs such as heroin as being under 10. While such use is unlikely, all
of these (answers) were included in the sample responses."

Hetherington says, though, the report does provide local youth and drug
councillors a starting point to explore drug use in the community.

"I'm not aware of much research done around these questions," Hetherington
said. "We saw an absence of information and youth opinion on the topic. I
hope (the report) encourages the community to follow up in a more rigorous
manner."

Jim Kelly, executive director of Alouette Addictions Services in Maple
Ridge, said he feels that contrary to the report's findings, youth drug use
in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows is the same as in other communities.

"It's no more serious here than anywhere else," Kelly said, "Kids are using
drugs here and all over the place."

Alouette Addictions Services treats youths dealing with drug and alcohol
problems through its Maple Ridge clinic or its school-based prevention
program. Kelly agrees not enough research has been done to give councillors
a good handle on the exact numbers of youth using drugs or what drugs
they're taking.

"(The report) gives us a benchmark of where to work from here," he said,
adding recent funding cuts have made it impossible to do any further
investigation into local youth drug use.

Meanwhile, the survey suggests there is a direct relationship between
school attendance and drug use "with youth who are less connected to school
showing the highest usage rates for most drugs."

"The Maple Ridge sample had the highest usage rates for most drugs and the
largest percentage of seldom (school) attendees. The Maple Ridge sample
also had the lowest number of regular attendees."

The report compared Maple Ridge with Delta teens, who posted the highest
rate of school attendance and lowest drug use rates.

According to the report, 30 per cent of Maple Ridge youths surveyed said
they don't go to school, while only 15 per cent of Delta youths said they
had dropped out.

"The more connected to school youths are, the less likely they're using
drugs," Hetherington said.

But the Maple Ridge sample, said Hetherington, was skewed because locally,
researchers interviewed an older cross-section of youths who may have
already graduated from high school but that wasn't factored into the final
numbers.

"For whatever reason, we picked up older people who were out of school,"
Hetherington said.

Another interesting find in the survey was that parents are the most
trusted source of drug information for youth who might want to find more
information. However, those same youth interviewed said their parents would
be the last "actual" place they'd go to get advice on drugs and alcohol.

"(Substance abuse) planners may want to enhance parental education programs
that encourage parents to talk with their children about drugs," The report
suggests.

The survey found males are more likely to be current users of drugs in all
categories except alcohol.

Sixty-three per cent of females said they had drank in the last 30 days,
compared to 59 per cent of males.

"Higher female drinking levels are particularly troubling when coupled with
data suggesting that teenage girls smoke more than boys."