Tracking Study Data—

Marijuana Use Down In Teens, But Inhalant Use Trend Remains Constant

This is the second of a two-part feature focusing on outcomes of the 2008 Parent Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and Connecticut’s Governor’s Prevention Partnership.

HARTFORD — While parents may not be doing enough to reinforce the dangers of inappropriately consuming prescription medications, they are doing much better at discussing issues related to marijuana, according to the latest Parent Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The study found that youth prescription drug abuse has remained constant, but marijuana and methamphetamine use has substantially declined.

While marijuana remains the most widely used drug among teens, PATS indicates marijuana use has actually been declining for a decade, with past-year use down 24 percent since 1998, and past-month use down a full 30 percent (from 23 percent of teens down to 16 percent) over the same time period.

Teen attitudes also reflect growing social disapproval of the drug, with 35 percent of teens agreeing strongly they “don’t want to hang around with anyone who uses marijuana,” up from 28 percent a decade ago.

Rates of marijuana use by Connecticut teens, routinely higher than the national average, have also fallen, but by a smaller amount, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. From 2002-2003 to 2005-2006, past-year marijuana use among 12-to-17-year-olds as a whole decreased 16 percent compared to 6 percent for that age group in Connecticut.

Among 18-to-25-year-olds, Connecticut has ranked among the states with the highest rates of marijuana use since the survey first generated state estimates in 2002-2003. In 2005-2006, 16.44 percent of 12-to-17-year-olds in Connecticut reported using marijuana in the past year while more than a quarter of young adults (28.03 percent) did.

According to the study, teen meth use has experienced a steep three-year drop, with past-month use down to 3 percent of teens — a significant 25 percent decline versus 2005. Teen attitudes about meth use corroborate this drop — 83 percent of teens see great risk in using meth regularly, about 85 percent see great risk in “getting hooked on meth” and more than half of teens (54 percent) see trying meth once or twice as very risky.

The Northeast largely escaped the ravages of meth that hit elsewhere. Connecticut has consistently experienced one of the lowest rates of meth use in the nation.

“We are making inroads in Connecticut, but the data show that, whether at home or in school, we can’t let up on informing teens about the risks drug and alcohol use pose to their health and futures,” said Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Deputy Commissioner Peter Rockholz, who also serves as co-chairman of the prescription drug task force. “It’s important that all adults in our teens’ lives send that same message, unequivocally.”

The study also indicates a strong correlation between increased teen exposure to anti-drug messages on television and a decreased likelihood of trying drugs over the past ten years. Four out of ten teens (41 percent) agreed that anti-drug messages made them more aware of the risks of using drugs and less likely to try drugs (42 percent).

Warning: Steroids, Inhalants

Steroid use remains low at 4 percent for lifetime use among teens. While there has been little overall change in the number of teens who see “great risk” in abusing steroids, fewer teens this year (65 percent) agreed strongly that teens who use steroids for athletic performance or physical appearance are putting their health at risk, down from 69 percent last year.

Preteen and teen inhalant use remains steady at 11 percent for past year use, yet only 66 percent of teens report that “sniffing or huffing things to get high can kill you.” Both categories of abuse merit careful monitoring — as attitudes toward inhalant and steroid abuse weaken, use is more likely to increase.

“We must be vigilant when attitudes show signs of weakening because this may portend future increases in substance use,” said Marlene McGann, chairwoman of the Connecticut Inhalant Task Force and director of the Meriden and Wallingford Substance Abuse Council.

The 20th annual study offers fresh insights into the way the current generation of teens view substance abuse. PATS 2008 showed a statistically significant increase in the number of teens who reported trying to talk a friend out of using drugs at 41 percent, and 40 percent of teens report being aware that they have a family member with a drug or alcohol problem.

“With over 6,500 teens from across the nation in the study, these data indicate this generation has greater sensitivity to the health risks and downsides of substance abuse,” Jill Spineti, president and chief executive officer of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, which serves as Connecticut’s alliance to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

“Teens live in a world of social networking and connectedness — they’re more open, constantly sharing their thoughts and experiences,” she said. “Teens recognize the impact of use, know others with a problem and seem to attach less stigma to getting help for themselves or a friend who is in trouble.”

Given that kids who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to ever use, parents are encouraged to have frequent ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and the abuse of Rx and OTC drugs.

Parent visitors to www.drugfree.org and www.preventionworksct.org can learn to talk with their kids about drugs and alcohol and take charge of the conversation with their kids.

The 20th annual national study of 6,518 teens in grades 7–12 is nationally projectable with a +/- 1.3 percent margin of error. PATS Teens 2008 was conducted in private, public, and parochial schools for the partnership by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research. For more information and the full PATS Teens Report, visit www.drugfree.org.