Drug use among Hoosier youth continues to decline

The survey addresses alcohol, tobacco and other drug use and involves nearly 80,000 students in the sixth through 12th grades attending 269 schools in Indiana. Funding for the survey is through a contract with the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.

“The decline in illicit drug use is not as dramatic as those found five to seven years ago, but the decreases are nevertheless significant,” said William Bailey, director of IPRC, who noted the decreases are similar to national figures. He cited tobacco decreases among nearly all grades and with most measurements of lifetime, annual, monthly and daily use. “Tobacco use is now about one-half lower among middle school students and about one-fourth lower among high school students when compared to 1991 and 1992,” he said. Between sixth and 12th grades, from 1996 to 2002, the figures show average declines of 11 percent in monthly cigarette use, nearly 8 percent in daily cigarette use and 5 percent in daily use of a half-pack or more of cigarettes.

http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/drug_stats/youth2002/.