Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 1, 1990 TAG: 9005010151
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARGIE FISHER RICHMOND BUREAU
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
That was one of the findings in the first Virginia Youth Survey to measure the extent of alcohol and drug use among young people.
The study results were released Monday in Richmond during the third annual CADRE (Commonwealth Alliance for Drug Rehabilitation and Education) state conference by Attorney General Mary Sue Terry.
Terry is founder and state chairman of CADRE, which has been copied by 17 other states. While a member of the House of Delegates, she was the prime sponsor of the legislation that set 21 as the legal drinking age in Virginia.
In the survey of about 11,500 students taken in October, 87 percent of high school seniors participating said they had tried alcohol; 74 percent said they had used it in the past year; and 47 percent reported using it in the past month.
Two out of three eighth-graders (65 percent) and 81 percent of 10th-graders also reported having tried alcohol, although there was less indication of regular use.
Although the use of alcohol, particularly among high school seniors in the state, seemed to be relatively high, it was slightly less than the national norm indicated by a 1987 survey.
Nationally, 90 percent of the seniors responding said they had tried alcohol; 82 percent said they had used it in the past year, and 60 percent said they had used it in the past month.
The state survey also indicated that Virginia high school seniors are using cigarettes, steroids and illegal drugs such as crack and cocaine at rates slightly lower than their national counterparts, but are using Quaaludes and other tranquilizers at a slightly higher rate.
The overall margin of error in the survey was about 3.3 percent, although the margin varied from group to group and from question to question. Additionally, the time lapse between the national and state studies lessens the statistical significance of a comparison between state and national figures.
Generally, the statistics probably mean only that Virginia is "about on par" with the nation, said Dr. Gary Selnow, a former professor at Virginia Tech who conducted the state survey.
Following are percentages of high school seniors surveyed who said they have tried various drugs. The Virginia figure is first, followed by the national figure in parentheses:
Marijuana - 37.2 percent (43.7 percent).
Crack - 3.9 percent (4.7 percent).
Cocaine - 9.5 percent (10.3 percent).
Steroids - 1.8 percent (3 percent).
Cigarettes - 58.3 percent (65.7 percent).
Quaaludes - 4.5 percent (2.7 percent).
Tranquilizers - 8.8 percent (7.6 percent).
Both Terry and Selnow noted that the state survey showed virtually no differences based on sex or geography.
"Females are using alcohol as much as males and rural youths are drinking as much as urban kids," Terry said. "And there's no significant difference in marijuana use between males and females or between urban and rural youths."
Selnow said one of the few areas where a difference emerged was in the use of smokeless tobacco, or chewing tobacco. Rural youngsters and particularly rural boys reported more use than others.
In the keynote address at the CADRE conference, Terry said the statewide survey is generally "good news for Virginia, and I believe that CADRE has played an important role in helping to make that good news possible."
At the same time, Terry said, there is no reason to become complacent. One troubling aspect of the survey's findings, she said, is that the majority of the young people who reported they did not use alcohol or drugs "could not give any specific reason for rejecting them."
Terry and Selnow both said they believe the survey's information will be useful in helping local CADRE chapters and others develop more effective anti-drug and alcohol programs.
Additionally, since it is the first taken in the state, it should serve as a guide to measure the results of such programs. The survey cost about $90,000 and was funded through grants from the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Problems and the Department of Education.
by CNB