Thursday, August 19, 1999
Drug use starting to fall among teens
BY LAURA MECKLER
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Teen drug use is beginning to creep down after climbing through the 1990s, the government reported Wednesday.
An annual survey found that 9.9 percent of teen-agers had used marijuana or other illegal drugs in the past month — down from 11.4 percent in 1997 — though still nearly double what it was in 1992.
President Clinton and others called the results solid evidence that the nation had reversed course. “We have turned an important corner,” he said.
Mr. Clinton and others credited increased attention to the issue by government, communities, parents, media and schools. “The message is finally getting through,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.
Overall, drug use among Americans of all ages remained level last year, and use among young adults continued its steady rise, according to the household survey of 25,500 people ages 12 and up.
All told, 78 million Americans have tried illegal drugs at some point, the survey said. Marijuana remained far and away the most popular drug, but 41.3 million Americans also had tried heroin, cocaine or another drug, the survey found.
Of them, 13.6 million were current users — about 6.2 percent of all Americans — half what it was at its 1979 peak.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse also measures cigarette smoking, which fell to its lowest level since 1971 when the survey began. Last year, 27.7 percent of Americans smoked, with teen smoking unchanged and smoking among young adults continuing to rise.
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