Study Finds Marijuana and Alcohol Use Up Among Teenagers, Early Parental Intervention Critical

Study finds alcohol and marijuana use rising among teenagers in grades 9 through 12. Early parental intervention critical.

One of the missions of the Hinterland Gazette is to shed light on the issues confronting our children and to remind parents of the responsibility they have in shaping the lives of their children. A study by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, has discovered that alcohol and marijuana use among teens is on the rise, essentially ending a 10-year decline. The annual survey found the number of teens in grades 9 through 12 who reported drinking alcohol in the last month rose 11 percent last year, with 39 percent, or about 6.5 million teens, reporting alcohol use. That's a staggering rise, up from 35 percent, or about 5.8 million teens, in 2008, the study says.

Where marijuana is concerned, about 25 percent of teens reported smoking pot in the last month, up from 19 percent. According to the study, until 2009, those measures for pot and alcohol use had been on a steady decline since 1998, when use hovered around 50 percent of teens for alcohol and 27 percent for pot. The study also discovered that use of the party drug Ecstasy on the rise. Six percent of teens surveyed said they used Ecstasy in the past month, compared with four percent in 2008.

Parents just can't pretend their children are doing the right thing. If they suspect their teen of using drugs, quick and early intervention is paramount. They need to be monitored closely and parents should talk to their children about drugs, whether they are using or not. They should also get outside help for their children who are using drugs.

Other findings of the study:

• Teen abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough medicine remained stable from 2008 to 2009. About one in seven teens reported abusing a prescription pain reliever in the past year; and about 8 percent of the teens questioned reported over-the-counter cough medicine abuse in the past year.
• Teen steroid and heroin use remained low at five percent for lifetime use.

The "attitude tracking" study was sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Researchers surveyed 3,287 teens in grades 9 through 12. Data were collected from questionnaires that teens filled out anonymously from March to June 2009. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.