KEY FINDINGS FROM THE 2005 MYRBS

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1 4 CHAPTER 4 ILLEGAL DRUG USE INTRODUCTION Drug use costs taxpayers about $98 billion annually in preventable health care costs, extra law enforcement, auto crashes, crime, and lost productivity (4a). More importantly, the use of illegal drugs can have a devastating impact on a person s health and safety, leading to death and long-term disability. Illegal drug use has also been associated with injury, violence, unwanted sexual contact, teen pregnancy, school failure, and delinquency. Further, injection drug use is one of the major transmission routes for infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In 2004, an estimated 19 million Americans were current illegal drug users, meaning that they had used an illicit drug in the past month (4b). Overall, the use of most illicit drugs by adolescents in the U.S. has declined over the past decade (4c). Nationwide and in Massachusetts, marijuana is by far the most commonly used drug among youth, accounting for most of the illegal drug use being reported (4d). Among Massachusetts adolescents in 2003, in fact, rates for past-month marijuana use among adolescents were higher than rates of past-month cigarette smoking, and were also higher than they were in the country as a whole (4e). This chapter will present the most recent prevalence rates of marijuana use both lifetime and current as well as lifetime rates for a variety of other illegal drugs including ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamines, steroids, and heroin. Many of the drug questions on the MYRBS questionnaire have changed between administrations, making it difficult to report trends in the use of specific drugs. However, prevalence trends are shown of those drugs for which there are multiple years of data. In addition, students were asked to report their use of needles to inject drugs, their use of marijuana on school property, and if they were offered or sold drugs on school property in the 12 months before the survey. KEY FINDINGS FROM THE 2005 MYRBS Many measures of adolescent drug have dropped significantly in the past decade and continue to show small decreases. - Current marijuana use has dropped from a high of 32% in 1995 to 26% in 2005, although this rate is higher than in other parts of the country. - Significant declines have occurred in any lifetime use of methamphetamines, heroin, ecstasy, or injected drugs. - Fewer students than in previous years (30%) report being sold, offered, or given drugs on school property. Ethnic differences in illegal drug use varied by the specific drug in question. Black students were somewhat more likely than other youth to report ever having used marijuana, but Other or Multiple Ethnicity adolescents had the highest rates of most other drug use. Illegal Drug Use 22

2 RESULTS MARIJUANA Forty-five percent (45%) of all high school students reported ever using marijuana in their lifetimes. The rate of lifetime marijuana use has been on a steady, although not significant, decline since 1997 (51%). (Figure 4a) Over one quarter of adolescents (26%) reported using marijuana within the past 30 days. This rate of current marijuana use is higher than the 21% reported for past-month cigarette smoking. Although males were somewhat more likely than females to report lifetime marijuana use (48% vs. 43%) and past-month use (29% vs. 23%), these differences were not statistically significant. (Figure 4b) Significant grade-level differences occurred in lifetime marijuana use (32% of 9 th grade students vs. 55% of 12 th grade students). Increases of current marijuana use, from 20% in 9 th grade to 30% among juniors, were also significant. (Figure 4c) Students of Other/Multiple Ethnicity and Black students reported the highest rate of lifetime marijuana use (49% of both groups); Asian students reported the least (28%). (Figure 4d) Rates of current marijuana use were also lowest for Asian youth (15%), in comparison to their White (27%), Black (28%), Hispanic (25%) and Other/Mixed Ethnicity peers (31%). Among students who reported current marijuana use, 34% used the drug one or two times in the 30 days before the survey. Forty-four percent (44%) used marijuana ten or more times during the 30-day period, an average of more than once a week. Nearly, one in five current marijuana users (19%) used the drug more than once a day (i.e., 40 or more times in the 30 day period). More than three-quarter of students (76%) who had ever used marijuana also reported current marijuana use, suggesting that one-time experimentation with marijuana is rare. Twenty-one percent (21%) of lifetime users (9% of all students) used marijuana for the first time before age 13 years. Among students who ever used marijuana, those who did so for the first time before age 13 were significantly more likely than their peers (who used marijuana for the first time after age 13) to report: Current (within past 30 days) marijuana use (76% vs. 54%) Cocaine use in lifetime (34% vs. 11%) Steroid use in lifetime (17% vs. 4%) Heroin use in lifetime (12% vs. 2%) Ecstasy use in lifetime (30% vs. 9%) Methamphetamine use in lifetime (19% vs. 6%) Current inhalant use (17% vs. 6%) Other drug use in lifetime (43% vs. 18%) Illegal Drug Use 23

3 Figure 4a. Marijuana Use among Massachusetts High School Students, Percent of Students Lifetime marijuana use Early initiation of marijuana use Current marijuana use (*) Marijuana use on school property (*) (*) Statistically significant decrease from 1997 p<.05 Figure 4b. Lifetime Use of Illegal Drugs among Massachusetts High School Students by Gender, Females Males 35 Percent of Students Marijuana Ecstasy Cocaine (*) Methamphetamines (*) Steroids Heroin (*) Other Drugs (a) Injected Drug Use (*) Statistically significant difference between male and female students, p <.05 Illegal Drug Use 24

4 Figure 4c. Lifetime Use of Illegal Drugs among Massachusetts High School Students by Grade, th Grade Percent of Students th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade Marijuana (*) Ecstasy (*) Cocaine Methamphetamines Steroids Heroin Other Drugs (a) Injected Drug Use (*) Statistically significant increase between grade levels, p<.05 Figure 4d. Lifetime Use of Illegal Drugs among Massachusetts High School Students by Race/Ethnicity, 2005 White Percent of Students Black Hispanic Asian Other Marijuana Ecstasy Cocaine Methamphetamines Steroids Heroin Other Drugs (a) Injected Drug Use (a) Other drugs such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol, or GHB Illegal Drug Use 25

5 Figure 4e. Lifetime Use of Other Illegal Drugs by Massachusetts High School Students, Cocaine Ecstasy (*) Methamphetamines (*) Steroids Heroin (*) Injected Drug Use (*) Other Drugs (a) (*) Statistically significant decrease from 2001, p<.05; (a) Other drugs such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol, or GHB LIFETIME AND CURRENT USE OF OTHER ILLEGAL DRUGS In 2005, 17% of high school students reported lifetime use of another illegal drug (not including marijuana). That is they reported having ever used at least one of the following: cocaine in any form, MDMA (i.e. ecstasy), heroin, methamphetamines, steroids, or some other type of illegal drug (such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol or GHB). (Figure 4e) One in ten students (10%) had used an illegal drug other than marijuana in the past 30 days. Including marijuana, almost half of all Massachusetts adolescents had used an illegal drug in their lifetimes. Almost three in ten (29%) had used marijuana, inhalants, heroin or some other illegal drug in the past 30 days. in the past month. Three out of five (60%) students who had ever used an illegal drug in their lifetimes also reported using a drug in the 30 days before the survey. COCAINE About 8% of all high school students used cocaine in their lifetimes. The rate of lifetime cocaine use has not changed significantly since Forty-three percent (43%) of students who had ever used cocaine used the drug only once or twice. Twentytwo percent (22%) reported using the drug twenty or more times. Differences in the lifetime use of cocaine between male and female students (9% vs. 7%) were not significant. Illegal Drug Use 26

6 The reported rate of lifetime cocaine use increased with grade in school. Seniors were nearly twice as likely as freshman to have ever used cocaine (10% vs. 6%). Students of Other/Multiple Ethnicity were most likely to report lifetime cocaine use: 12% of students in this category had ever used cocaine. Nine percent (9%) of White students, 6% of Asian students and 5% of both Hispanic and Black students reported lifetime cocaine use. ECSTASY Seven percent (7%) of Massachusetts adolescents had used ecstasy (MDMH) at some time in their lives. Ecstasy rates have dropped sharply since 2001, when 13% of youth had tried the drug. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of lifetime ecstasy users have used the drug ten or more times. However, more than half (53%) used ecstasy only one or two times. Report of ecstasy use increased significantly with grade in school. Twice as many seniors (10%) reported lifetime ecstasy use than freshman (5%). Hispanic students reported the lowest rate of lifetime ecstasy use (5%) followed by Black students (6%), White students (7%), Asian students (9%) and students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity (12%). METHAMPHETAMINES Four percent (4%) of high school students used methamphetamines (also called crank, speed, crystal, or ice) at least once in their lifetimes, only half as many as had reported its use in 1995 when the rate was 8%. Forty-four percent (44%) of all students who had ever used methamphetamines did so only one or two times. More than one-third (38%) have used the drug ten or more times. Male students were more likely than female students to report having ever used methamphetamines in their lifetimes (7% vs. 3%). There were no significant grade differences in lifetime methamphetamine use: 4% of students in all grades reported having used the drug in their lifetimes. Students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity (9%) were most likely to report having ever used methamphetamine, followed by Asian students (6%), Whites students (5%), Hispanic students (4%) and Black students (3%). STEROIDS Four percent (4%) of all students used steroids without a doctor s prescription. Among students who had ever used steroids, 27% did so only one or two times: 41% used steroids ten or more times. Neither gender differences nor grade level differences in steroid use were statistically significant. Four percent ( 4% ) each of White, Black and Hispanic students, 6% of Asian students and 7% of students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity has used steroids in their lifetimes. Illegal Drug Use 27

7 HEROIN Only 2.4% of all students reported ever using heroin in their lifetimes. The rate of lifetime heroin use has declined significantly since 1999, when the rate was 3.8%. One and one-half percent (1.5%) of adolescents reported using heroin within the past 30 days. Forty-one percent (41%) of students who had used heroin in their lifetimes used the drug only one or two times. However, nearly half (45%) of students who had ever used heroin used the drug tem or more times. Males were three times more likely than females to report lifetime heroin use (3% vs. 1% respectively). Lifetime heroin use rates did not differ significantly by grade. OTHER DRUGS Roughly 12% of high school students reported any lifetime use of drugs other than those mentioned above, such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol, or GHB. Although this appears to be a significant decrease since 2001, comparisons between years may not be valid since the specific drugs mentioned varied from year to year. Male students had a slightly higher rate of lifetime other drug use than females (13% vs. 10% respectively). Students of Other/ Multiple Ethnicity (16%) and White students (13%) were significantly more likely than Hispanic students (6%) or Black students (6%) to report other drug use in their lifetimes. Seven percent (7%) of Asian students reported other drug use. INJECTION DRUG USE Nearly two percent (1.5%) of high school students reported ever using a needle to inject illegal drugs, representing a significant decline in the past decade. Male students were significantly more likely to report injection drug use than their female counterparts (2% vs. 1% respectively). Injection drug use did not vary significantly across grades. The highest rates of injection drug use was observed among Black students, students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity and Asian students, each at 3%, followed by White students and Hispanic students, each at 1%. INHALANTS Five percent (5%) of all high school students used inhalants in the month before the survey, similar to previous rates (4% in 1999 and 6% in 2003). Male and females students were as likely to have used inhalants in the month before the survey (6% and 5% respectively). Current inhalant use decreased significantly with age and grade, from 9% among 9 th grade students to 2% among seniors. The highest rate of current inhalant use was found among students of Other or Mixed Ethnicity (12%). Four percent (4%) of Black students, 5% of Hispanic students, 6% of White students and 8% of Asian students reported current inhalant use. Illegal Drug Use 28

8 OTHER DRUGS Students were asked to report their use of any illegal drug other than marijuana, heroin or inhalants in the 30 days before the survey. This includes any drug such as cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy, or other illegal drugs. Seven percent (7%) of students reported current use of other drugs. Nine percent (9%) of male students and 6% of female students reported current use of other drugs. There were no significant racial/ethnic or grade-level differences in the prevalence of current drug use. ILLEGAL DRUGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY Five percent (5%) of all students had used marijuana on school property in the 30 days prior to the survey, a significant decline from the 11% reported in Males were nearly twice more likely than females to report having used marijuana on school property in the month before the survey (7% vs. 4%), but the rate did not vary significantly by grade or racial/ethnic background. Thirty percent (30%) of all students were offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property in the year before the survey, a significant decline from the 39% reported in While the rate of being offered, sold or given drugs on school property did not vary significantly by grade or race/ethnicity it did vary significantly by gender. Male students (34%) were more likely than female students (25%) to report having been offered, sold or given illegal drugs at school. Massachusetts rates of being offered, sold, or given illegal drugs on school property are significantly higher than rates for the United States as a whole (30% vs. 25%) (4d). This discrepancy is most likely due to higher Massachusetts rates of adolescent marijuana use than is true in the rest of the country. ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND OTHER RISK BEHAVIORS Illegal drug use was associated with a host of other risk behaviors. For example, students who reported use of any illicit drug within the past 30 days were also significantly more likely than their peers to report driving after drinking alcohol (23% vs. 4%) carrying a weapon in the past month (30% vs. 8%) having been or gotten someone pregnant (9% vs. 2%) making a suicide attempt in the past year (11% vs. 4%) ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Students who reported using any illegal drugs were significantly less likely than their peers to have received A s, B s, or C s in their courses the previous year (79% vs. 89%) PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR ILLEGAL DRUG USE The presence of several protective factors was associated with lower rates of current (past 30 days) illegal drug use. Drug use was significantly lower among students who: Felt they could talk with adult family members about things that were important to them (27% vs. 42%) Illegal Drug Use 29

9 Believed that there was at least one teacher or other school staff member they could talk to if they had a problem (27% vs. 34%) Participated in organized extracurricular activities (23% vs. 35%) Engaged in community service or volunteer work (24% vs. 33%) ADDITIONAL FINDINGS Contrary to some popular misconceptions, most drug use did not differ by kind of community. The sole exception to this was that any lifetime cocaine use was significantly higher among students in rural school districts (11%) than those in urban (7%) and suburban (8%) districts. Sexual minority youth were more likely than other adolescents to report most drug use behaviors. For example, they had higher rates than their peers of any drug use within the past 30 days (53% vs. 28%). Students receiving special education services were similar to other students in their reports of illicit drug use. Homeless adolescents had higher rates than other youth on most drug use indicators. For example, they were significantly more likely than their peers to have used an illegal drug within the past month (59% vs. 28%). CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Fewer Massachusetts high school students than at any time in the past ten years are using illegal drugs. In particular, lifetime rates of ecstasy, methamphetamine, heroin, and injection drug use have declined significantly. Further, fewer adolescents are reporting current marijuana use or being offered, sold, or given drugs on school property. Lifetime. However, the use and availability of illegal drugs remain serious problems in Massachusetts. Lifetime and current rates of marijuana use in Massachusetts have been consistently above the national average since 1993 (see Appendix D), and the rate of lifetime cocaine use increased slightly from 1995 to 1999 and has not changed significantly since. National data indicate that many adolescents perceive little harm in illegal drug use. For example, only about one third of high school students believe that there is any great risk from the occasional use of marijuana, and over two-thirds assert that marijuana would be easy to get (4c). Even though there has been a significant decline in the percent of students who are offered, sold, or given drugs on school property, the 2005 MYRBS data indicate the ease with which illegal drugs can still be obtained at school. Also, YRBS data have shown that a higher percentage of Massachusetts youth, as compared to youth across the county, report having been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property. (4d) Because both perceived risk and perceived availability are key correlates of drug use, this information suggests that schools and communities should work together to educate young people about the negative physical, cognitive, emotional, and social consequences of drug use, while ensuring stronger and more vigilant enforcement of drug policies and laws. Nearly every public school district in Massachusetts receives funds to promote safe and drug-free school environments. The Safe and Drug Free Schools grant program sets clear guidelines for implementing curricula and programs to prevent drug use among students. It is important that schools use curricula and Illegal Drug Use 30

10 programs that have been carefully evaluated and found to be effective (4f). Previous research has shown the association between illegal drug use and other risk behaviors. For this reason, it is important that schools address the issue of drug abuse in a comprehensive way, showing the relationships among risk behaviors and teaching skills-based approaches to help students avoid risky situations and decisions. Illegal Drug Use 31

11 CHAPTER 4: REFERENCES 4a. National Institutes of Health (2006). NIDA InfoFacts: Costs to society. [On-line] Retrieved on December 11, 2006 from 4b. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (2006). Summary of the findings from the 2004 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse [on-line]. Retrieved on December 11, 2006, from 4c. Johnston, L.D., O Malley, P., Bachman, J., & Schulenberg, J. (2006) Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, (NIH Publication No ). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. 4d. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006, June 9) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance United States, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55, No. SS-5. 4e. Massachusetts Department of Education (2004) 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results. Malden, MA: Author. 4f. Dunesbury, L., Falco, M., & Lake, A. (1997). A review of the evaluation of 47 drug abuse prevention curricula available nationally. Journal of School Health, 67, Illegal Drug Use 32