Study says teen drug use is on the decline
But drinking rates mostly unchanged
WASHINGTON -- Drug use among teens has dipped nationwide, but underage drinking persists, with increases in California and Wisconsin, according to a study released yesterday.
The report by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, based on interviews with 135,500 people, is the first to document state-by-state drug and alcohol use from 2002 to 2004.
It found that in 2004, 10.9 percent of young people ages 12 to 17 reported that they had used an illegal drug in the past month, a drop from 11.4 percent in 2002.
Fueling the decline were six states -- Illinois, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia -- while use in other states was largely the same.
At the same time, teen alcohol use remained basically unchanged -- from 17.67 percent in 2002 to 17.65 percent in 2004. Among the young people ages 12 to 20, California drinkers rose from 24.7 percent to 26.3 percent, while Wisconsin increased from 34.7 percent to 38.3 percent.
''While we are making progress on drug and alcohol use among youth, underage drinking continues as a stubbornly persistent problem," said Charles Curie, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. ''It's time to change attitudes toward teen drinking from acceptance to abstinence."
The report showed wide disparities from state to state when it came to tobacco use as well as abuse of alcohol and drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, and the nonmedical use of pain relievers.
Alaska and New Mexico topped the list among those ages 12 and older who reported using an illegal drug in the past month, at 11.8 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively, compared with a national average of 8.1 percent. The most drug-free states were Mississippi, at 5.8 percent, and Iowa, at 6.5 percent.
Among teens, Kentucky and South Dakota had the most tobacco use, at 24.3 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively, compared with a national average of 14.4 percent.
The lowest areas in terms of usage were Utah, at 8.7 percent, and the District of Columbia, at 9 percent.
Other findings:
West Virginia had the highest rate of self-reported ''serious psychological distress" among those ages 18 and older in the past year (12.7 percent), while Hawaii had the lowest, at 7.1 percent. The study did not track distress in young people.
Eight states ranked in the top fifth for underage use of alcohol as well as underage binge use: Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
