NCJ Number
176001
Date Published
1998
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This 1998 Kansas study focuses on the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in the State; alcohol-related and other drug-related crime; the impact of substance abuse on health; the costs of substance use and abuse; and the Kansas response to these problems.
Abstract
A distinguished advisory panel guided the project. In addition, interviews with Federal and State program officials, representatives from treatment and prevention programs, coalitions, and community leaders helped provide a comprehensive profile of public and private initiatives. Youth under age 18 cannot legally purchase or possess cigarettes or other tobacco products in Kansas. Nevertheless, in 1998 one in three 12th graders and one in five 8th graders in Kansas reported smoking cigarettes in the past month; one in four 6th graders had tried cigarettes. Youth drinking rates in Kansas are consistently above national averages. In 1997, 66 percent of 8th graders and 79 percent of 10th graders in Kansas had tried alcohol, compared to 54 percent and 72 percent nationwide, respectively. About half of 10th graders and 33 percent of 8th graders in Kansas reported drinking alcohol in the preceding month, compared to national rates of 40 percent and 25 percent, respectively. In general, Kansas youth are less likely to use illicit drugs than youth elsewhere in the Nation; for example, in 1997 fewer 10th graders in Kansas had tried marijuana than their peers nationwide. Some Kansas drug-prevention efforts occur in schools, and others are community-based. During the 1997-98 school year, virtually all of Kansas' 304 school districts had alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention programs in the elementary and middle school grades. This report highlights a number of promising programs that reflect innovation in prevention, treatment, and criminal justice in Kansas. Recommendations are offered for various State agencies in preventing and treating drug abuse. Extensive graphic data and a 38-item list of sources