Substance Abuse

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug by 12–17-year-olds. Each day, approximately 3,430 teens try marijuana for the first time.
– SAMHSA. (2005). National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2004.
 
In 2005, 23.1 percent of 12th-graders and 17.3 percent of 10th-graders were current drug users.
– National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website, www.drugabuse.gov and www.monitoringthefuture.org. The Monitoring the Future Study 2005.
 
 
More than four in 10 adolescents have been offered drugs and about one in four have been offered drugs at school.
– Partnership for a Drug-Free America. (2005). Marijuana Report: Assessment of the National Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
 
 
Research shows that kids who use drugs in early adolescence are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that may put their futures in jeopardy, such as delinquency; having multiple sexual partners; perceiving drugs as not harmful; and having more friends who exhibit deviant behavior.
– Brook, JS; Balka, EB; and Whiteman, M. (1999). The risks for late adolescence of early adolescent marijuana use. American Journal of Public Health.
 
72% of teens who use drugs and 81% of those who use them heavily have had sex, compared to 36% who never used drugs.
– The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA)
 
Each day, approximately 7,500 teens (age 12–17) try alcohol for the first time.
–SAMHSA. (2005). National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2004.
 
 
Nationwide, nearly half (44.9%) of high school students reported current alcohol use.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2003.
 
 
Nearly one in three (27.8%) high school students reported drinking alcohol for the first time before age 13.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2003.
 
 
Nationwide, 30.2 percent of high school students had ridden in a car or other vehicle one or more times with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2003.
 
 
Each day, approximately 3, 900 teens (aged 12–17) try cigarettes for the first time.
– SAMHSA. (2005). National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2004.
 
 
About one in five (22.3%) high school students are current cigarette users.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2003.
 
Before age 13, 18.3 percent of high school students nationwide had smoked a whole cigarette for the first time.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2003.