Parents’ Antidrug Messages Beginning to Pay Off

There is mixed news on the drug-fighting front, according to a new survey of drug use among youth and adults. Youngsters aged 12 to 17 are not decreasing their illicit drug use, but their younger counterparts are using such substances on a less-frequent basis, according to results from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, released in October.

Data show that 9.7 percent of youth aged 12 to 17 reported illicit drug use in 2000, a nearly identical percentage to those who reported illicit drug use in 1999. Illicit drugs include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse is conducted annually by the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is based on a representative sample of people aged 12 and older. Researchers interviewed more than 71,000 people to gather information on the prevalence of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.

The study probes factors that might underlie drug use, as well. For example, researchers found that about 7 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 who said that their parents would strongly disapprove if they tried marijuana “once or twice” had used an illicit drug in the past month. But about 32 percent of youths in that age group who said their parents would not disapprove used an illicit substance in the month previous to the interview.

“Strong antidrug attitudes by parents are one of the most powerful influences on our children,” said Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Thompson in an October 4 press release announcing the survey findings.

Richard Suchinsky, M.D., chair of APA’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry, agrees with Thompson’s statement, but also urges caution when trying to determine the causes of drug use in teens.

“The factors leading to vulnerability to substance use are extremely complex,” he told Psychiatric News. “The data are certainly supportive of the idea that parental disapproval of substance use is an important factor in reducing substance use.”

Suchinsky also said that some young people use substances in the face of parental disapproval. Genetics, peer group affiliation and pressure, and exposure to traumatic events were other important factors he listed that can lead youngsters to use illicit drugs.

The study also found that drug use is slowing in a particularly vulnerable population—preteens. Youth aged 12 and 13 showed a drop in drug use from 4 percent in 1999 to 3 percent last year.

Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Edward Jurith believes the decrease in drug use among the youngest teens can be attributed to efforts of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. In the October 4 press release Jurith said, “A simple statement against drugs goes a long way in keeping children healthy and drug free. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign provides parents resources and suggestions for talking with their kids about the dangers of drug use.”

The nationwide campaign began in 1998 to “enable” America’s youth to reject drugs. Collaborating with the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the campaign targets young teens through ads on television, radio, and the Internet and in newspapers, for instance. Through partnerships with the campaign, the television networks ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN, and WB have produced their own antidrug public service announcements.

The campaign has also implemented many antidrug programs, such as the Children of Substance Abusers Program, designed to help young people develop independence and learn social and life skills that will help them cope. Adults work with the children at school and places of worship, in neighborhoods, and through community-service organizations.

The 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse also gave these estimates:

• A total of 14 million Americans used an illicit drug within one month prior to being interviewed, which represents about 6 percent of the population aged 12 and older.

• Youth aged 18 to 20 reported the highest incidences of illicit drug use (19.6 percent).

• Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug and is used by 76 percent of illicit drug users. For approximately 59 percent of current illicit drug users, marijuana was the only such illegal substance they used.

• Men have a higher rate of illicit drug use than do women—7.7 percent versus 5 percent, although men and women used pain relievers, sedatives, and stimulants at about the same rates.

• Nearly 7 million youth aged 12 to 20 (19 percent of that population) reported binge drinking, defined as consuming five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey.

• Ten percent of Americans aged 12 and older (22 million people) drove under the influence of alcohol at least once in the last year.

Findings from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse can be found at www.samhsa.gov/oas/oas.html. ▪