Youthful drug use up sharply

A recent Carnegie Foundation report warns that:

Barely out of childhood, young people ages ten to fourteen are today experiencing more freedom, autonomy, and choice than ever at a time when they still need special nurturing, protection, and guidance. Without the sustained involvement of parents and other adults in safeguarding their welfare, young adolescents are at risk of harming themselves and others. (NOTE 4)

Lately, an increasing part of the "harm" referred to in the Carnegie report has been taking the form of increased drug use: Over the past two years, almost every available indicator shows that youthful drug use has increased dramatically after years of consistent declines.(see Fig. A)

In September 1995, the Department of Health and Human Services released the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, (Household Sur-vey) which showed that marijuana use had increased by an average of 50 percent among young people.

Increases were especially pronounced in certain age groups. The category of "recent marijuana use" was up a staggering 200 percent among 14-15 year-olds; among 12-13 year-olds, use was up 137 percent. (NOTE 5)

Translated into raw numbers, this means that in 1994, the number of youthful, past-year marijuana users reached 2.9 million, compared to 1.6 million in 1992 (See Fig. B) . In other words, nearly 1.3 million more young people are smoking marijuana today than were doing so in 1992.

Voluminous evidence now confirms the dangers of marijuana use. Marijuana impairs short-term memory, core motor functions, and the ability to concentrate. Used during pregnancy, it can lead to low-IQ babies.

Researchers have traced these recent increases to declining peer disapproval, which in turn is driven by fewer young people believing that drug use is harmful. University of Michigan Researcher Lloyd D. Johnston, who conducts an annual survey of drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, (NOTE 6) has written that "'[p]eer norms appear to shift with changes in the perceived dangers of a drug'.... In the case of marijuana, the proportion of high-school seniors who disapproved of even trying" marijuana reached a high of 70 percent in 1992.(NOTE 7) Yet when perceived risk began to drop, peer disapproval began to fall as well (from 70 percent in 1992 to 58 percent in 1994).

As peer disapproval fell, youthful drug use began a steep upward trajectory that continues to this day. As Figure C illustrates, past-month use of marijuana rose 110 percent for 8th graders, 95 percent for 10th graders, and 60 percent among 12th graders, between 1992 and 1994. Johnston predicts that "[i]f the softening of attitudes and peer norms continues unabated, we can expect to see continued increases in drug use among our children."

In addition to surveying youthful drug use, the Household Survey also estimates the prevalence of adult use of a wide variety of illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens, as well as the nonmedical use of prescription drugs.

The Survey's annual estimate of overall drug use, which includes all age groups, showed little change in 1994, rising slightly to 12.2 million users, as compared to 11.7 million users the year before. The Survey is important because it measures drug use among the 98 percent of the population living in households. Its chief limitation is that it does not cover traditional high-use populations such as college students living in dormitories or homeless addicts not living in shelters.