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Drug Use Increasing
Teenagers’ use of marijuana - the most widely used illicit drug - has stabilized, while inhalant, methamphetamine, cocaine/crack and LSD use have all declined.Teen drug use increased steadily from 1992 to 1997. The study also found significant, positive changes in drug-related attitudes among teens, which may signal the beginning of a longer trend away from drug use.
Despite their more active role, many parents are overwhelmed by the scope of the drug problem. This, according to the research, appears to be extracting a price on parents’ confidence in their own ability to safeguard children from drugs:
- Fully 75 percent of parents now think “most people will try marijuana sometimes,” up significantly from 65 percent in 1995.
- One-third (33 percent) of parents now see marijuana as “very easy” for their children to get, also up significantly from 1995 (24 percent).
- One out of every three parents (32 percent) believes “what I say will have will have little influence on whether my child tries marijuana.” The numbers are even higher for African-American and Hispanic parents (40 and 43 percent, respectively).
The data released today show that 30 percent of parents - up from 23 percent in 1998 - believe there’s “nothing I can really do to help the drug problem.” Again, the numbers are even higher for African-American and Hispanic parents (43 and 37 percent, respectively) who responded similarly.
More than half of all parents (56 percent) - and three out of four (76 percent) Hispanic parents - say they “wish they knew better what to say” to their kids about drugs. Parents of all backgrounds say they want additional information on a variety of topics so they can talk more effectively with their kids about drugs.
"Our greatest challenge is helping all parents understand that they are a tremendous influence on their children’s decisions,” Bonnette said. “Children who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are significantly less likely to try drugs - up to 50 percent less likely, according to our data. While parents may be overwhelmed by the enormity of the drug problem, we’ve got to help them understand that the fight against drugs isn’t one massive battle - it’s thousands of little ones."
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