SURVEY CHARTS DRUG USE BY TEENS

More than one in seven Valley eighth-graders has used marijuana in the
past 30 days, a figure more than 40 percent higher than the national
average.

New statistics from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission also show
that close to 9 percent have smoked a cigarette in the last month, 3
percent have used chewing tobacco and a third have consumed alcohol.

The figures are even higher for high school sophomores and
seniors.

Overall, more than half of eighth-graders statewide have tried
alcohol, with that figure increasing to more than 80 percent by 12th
grade. A quarter have tried marijuana by eighth grade, and half have
used it by the time they become seniors.

And close to one in eight seniors has at least experimented with
hallucinogens, cocaine or =93Ecstasy.=94

Michael Branham, the commission's executive director, said the survey
is not specifically meant to scare parents. Instead, he said, it
becomes a tool to find out where the problem is and help fashion a
solution.

Branham said he can't say exactly why Arizona teens are more likely to
use illegal drugs than youngsters elsewhere.

One likely factor, he said, is the state's proximity to the border,
making certain drugs far more accessible. He also said there is
evidence of peer pressure.

One thing that must be explored, however, is whether there are viable
alternatives for youngsters -- places for them to go and things for
them to do, Branham said. If not, then communities need to create
alternatives if they want to reduce drug use, he said.

"Given the limited resources available in current budgets, it is
believed this information will be invaluable in guiding prevention and
intervention strategies over the next several years," said Steve
Ballance, chief researcher for the agency's statistical analysis center.

Branham said trying to keep children and teens off drugs is not a
losing proposition, citing the state's active antismoking efforts
funded through cigarette taxes.

"We believe the antismoking campaigns are starting to work," he
said.

As proof, he noted that 12.2 percent of eighth-graders nationwide
report puffing on a cigarette in the past 30 days. That figure is only
9.1 percent in Arizona and 8.8 percent in Maricopa County.

Branham said the surveys are put together using a national model, with
questions designed in a fashion making them easily answerable by
youngsters. The forms are collected by school employees, but they are
not examined locally, and students are promised anonymity, he said.

Overall, more than 12,200 youngsters statewide were surveyed at 59
schools.

Among illegal drugs, marijuana is the most common, used by 14.3
percent of eighth-graders in the last month, 22.4 percent of
10th-graders and 25.4 percent of seniors.

But there also is relatively high use of inhalants, especially among
younger students, who may have trouble getting other drugs. Overall,
6.5 percent of eighth-graders reported using inhalants in the past 30
days; that figure drops to 2 percent among 12th-graders.

Arizona eighth-graders also use Ecstasy at twice the national level of
1.8 percent; the use among high schoolers is only slightly above the
national average. Arizonans also are far more likely to use cocaine
than youngsters elsewhere.