NCJ Number
115519
Journal
Journal of School Health Volume: 58 Issue: 7 Dated: (September 1988) Pages: 288-291
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
To assist in the development of new drug prevention programs funded by the Drug-Free Schools Act of 1986, North Carolina conducted a 1987 drug prevalence survey on a randomly selected, stratified cluster sample of 10,259 public school students enrolled in Grades 7 through 12.
Abstract
Results indicate that alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana were the most extensively used drugs. With the exception of crack and hashish (which declined in use among 12th graders) and hallucinogens (which showed a stable pattern of use), use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs increased across the three grades. Lifetime tobacco use ranged from 36.9 to 58 percent, alcohol from 39 to 76.9 percent and marijuana from 12.4 to 48 percent. Uppers and downers were the next most frequently used drugs. Whites and males were more frequent substance users than blacks and females. Of concern is that almost 20 percent of 11th and 12th grade students reported coming to school intoxicated during the year preceding the survey. Overall, results provide further impetus for the development of early intervention programs. There is a need for other States to conduct similar surveys to aid in resource allocation and decisionmaking, to facilitate youth advocacy, and to increase public awareness. 5 tables and 11 references. (Author abstract modified)