...because no family should face the disease of addiction alone

02/01/2008

FACTS

Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug (14.6 million past month users).

T 6.4 million persons aged 12 or older who used prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs non medically in the past month.

Of these, 4.7 million used pain relievers, 1.8 million used tranquilizers, 1.1 million used stimulants

Among persons aged 12 or older who used pain relievers nonmedically in the past 12 months, 59.8 percent reported that the source of the drug the most recent time they used was from a friend or relative for free.

Slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2005 survey (51.8 percent). or an estimated

126 million people,

Survey Result

Illicit Drug Use in the U.S.

Highlights from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse:

Approximately one in eight youths aged 12 to 17 (11.7 percent) reported in 2005 that they had participated in drug, tobacco, or alcohol prevention programs outside of school in the past year. The prevalence of past month alcohol use was lower among youths who reported participating in these programs, 14.0 percent, than among youths who did not, 16.9 percent. However, for past month use of marijuana, there was no statistically significant difference between those who participated (5.8 percent used marijuana) and those who did not (6.9 percent used marijuana). Similarly, there was no difference between the two groups in current cigarette use (10.4 percent among participants and 10.8 percent among non participants).

In 2005, 59.8 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 reported that they had talked at least once in the past year with at least one of their parents about the dangers of drug, tobacco, or alcohol use—similar to the 60.3 percent in 2004. Among youths who reported having had such conversations with their parents, rates of current alcohol, cigarette, and illicit drug use were lower than among youths who did not talk about substance abuse. For example, past month binge drinking was reported by 9.2 percent of youths who had talked with their parents about drug, tobacco, or alcohol use compared with 11.0 percent of those who had not. Past month use of marijuana was lower among youths who had talked with their parents (6.4 percent) than among those who had not (7.4 percent).

Almost four fifths (77.9 percent) of youths aged 12 to 17 enrolled in school reported in 2005 they had seen or heard drug or alcohol prevention messages at school in the past year, a percentage similar to the 2004 estimate of 78.2 percent. Past month use of an illicit drug was lower for youths exposed to such messages in school (9.2 percent) than for youths not reporting such exposure (13.2 percent).

Out-of-school exposure to drug or alcohol prevention messages in the past year was reported by 81.1 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 in 2005, a decline from 83.0 percent in 2004. Past month rates of use of any illicit drug, marijuana, any illicit drug other than marijuana, alcohol, and binge alcohol among those reporting no exposure to drug or alcohol prevention messages outside of school were all similar to rates among those who reported that they had seen prevention messages outside of school. Past month cigarette use showed a significant difference (12.6 percent among those who had not been exposed vs. 10.3 percent among those who had).

Parental Involvement

Youths aged 12 to 17 were asked a number of questions related to the extent of support, oversight, and control that they perceived their parents exercised over them in the year prior to the survey. In 2005, among youths aged 12 to 17 enrolled in school in the past year, 79.2 percent reported that in the past year their parents always or sometimes checked on whether or not they had completed their homework, 79.5 percent reported that their parents always or sometimes provided help with their homework, and 68.7 percent reported that their parents limited the amount of time that they spent out with friends on school nights. Also in 2005, among all youths aged 12 to 17, 87.5 percent reported that in the past year their parents made them always or sometimes do chores around the house, 38.6 percent reported that their parents limited the amount of time that they watched television, and 85.9 percent reported that their parents always or sometimes let them know that they had done a good job. All of these percentages were similar to those for 2004 with the exception of the percentage reporting that their parents provided help with homework, which had declined from the 80.8 percent that had been reported in 2004.

In 2005, past month use of any illicit drug, cigarettes, and alcohol was lower among youths aged 12 to 17 who reported that their parents always or sometimes engaged in monitoring behaviors than among youths whose parents "seldom" or "never" engaged in such behaviors. For example, the rate of past month use of any illicit drug was 8.1 percent for youths whose parents always or sometimes helped with homework compared with 17.4 percent among youths who indicated that their parents seldom or never helped. Rates for current cigarette smoking were 9.3 and 17.7 percent for the two groups of youths, respectively, and rates of past month alcohol use were 14.5 versus 27.2 percent

Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings

"Open Letter to Parents"

Highlights Negative Impact of Marijuana on Teen Learning and Academic Success:

Parents are a powerful influence in keeping their teens off of drugs and other risky behaviors, such as underage drinking, cigarette use, and sexual activity. And according to new data, the majority of teens say the greatest risk in using marijuana is upsetting their parents (69%), followed by losing the respect of friends and family (67.2%). To better help parents prevent all types of risk-taking among teens, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and health and prevention leaders have partnered to raise awareness about the consequences of risky behaviors among teens, including drug use, drinking, smoking, and sexual activity.

Compared to a generation ago, most of today's teens are thriving. Drug, alcohol, tobacco, and teen pregnancy rates are all down. But recent surveys show that among the Nation's 12-17-year-olds, each day 3,430 try marijuana for the first time; 7,500 try alcohol; 3,900 try cigarettes; and one in five teenage girls has at least one birth by age 20. In a typical high school class in America today, the number of students engaging in risky behaviors is staggering: seven out of 30 kids are using drugs; 13 drink alcohol; six smoke cigarettes; and 10 are sexually active. Indeed, new data also shows that more than four in 10 adolescents have been offered drugs, and about one in four have been offered drugs at school.

TEEN Media Campaign

Parents the Anti Drug
This fall, more than 1 million high school juniors and seniors will be preparing to take college entrance exams. Recognizing the negative impact of marijuana on teen learning and academic success, the Office of National Drug Control Policy launched a new outreach effort to educate parents about the risks of teen marijuana use. The "Marijuana and Learning" effort features a new "Open Letter to Parents" that will appear in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and U.S. News and World Report on October 12, 2004. The letter will also be available for viewing online at Parents. The Anti-Drug and Media Campaign.

The "Open Letter to Parents" and its message are being supported by leaders in the fields of education, health, and youth drug prevention, including the Center for College Health and Safety, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National Association of Asian and Pacific-American Education, United Negro College Fund, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American School Counselor Association, National Student Assistance Association, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

"Young people who begin marijuana use at an early age when the brain is still developing are more vulnerable to problems with memory, attention span, and learning," said Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Smoking marijuana causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused by cocaine, heroin, and alcohol."

The latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that almost 4 million youths aged 12 to 17 (16 percent) had used marijuana at least once in the past year. While there has been an 11 percent decrease in marijuana use, according to the 2003 Monitoring the Future survey, NSDUH findings show almost 14 percent of youths who bought marijuana did so on school property.

Research also shows that teens with an average grade of "D" or below are more than four times more likely to have used marijuana in the past year as youth who reported an average grade of "A." The more a student abuses substances, the lower his or her grade point average is likely to be. In fact, teenagers who drink underage or use drugs are up to five times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school.

The "Marijuana and Learning" outreach effort is part of a larger marijuana education initiative launched by ONDCP in 2002 to dispel myths and misconceptions about the drug among teens and their parents. For more information about marijuana's negative impact on teen learning and other media campaign efforts that you can bring to your community Click Here.

Please contact Media Campaign if you have questions or comments.

Media Campaign
ONDCP

750 17th Street, NW Washington

District of Columbia 20503

Treatment Facts

The public cost of untreated alcohol and drug addiction is a nearly $280 billion a year; $1,000 in unnecessary costs for every man, woman, and child in America.

Prevention and treatment saves lives and costs less: Millions of people and their families are in recovery from addiction and leading productive lives. Over $7.00 is saved in medical and social costs for every dollar invested in treatment.

For every dollar spent on alcohol and drug prevention, communities can save up to $5.00 in future costs for treatment and counseling.

School Facts
	Over half of all students in the U.S. say their school is not drug free. Teens who attend schools where illicit drugs are used or sold are twice as likely to have marijuana offered to them, and three times more likely to smoke cigarettes and marijuana. They are also two times more likely to know a teenager who uses LSD, cocaine, or heroin.