WASHINGTON, Aug. 31,2000 -- The use of illegal drugs by youths aged 12 to 17 dropped sharply from 1997 to 1999, the federal government said today. And while drug use among people 18 to 25 went up, it was still far below what it had been 20 years ago.
The trend among those 12 to 17 is the most important finding of the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, said Dr. Donna E. Shalala, the secretary of health and human services, and Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, director of the White House office on drug control policy.
Both officials said that nationwide educational and preventive efforts were working, especially among the young.
"Most of our young people are obviously getting the message that drugs are not the stuff of dreams, but the stuff of nightmares," Dr. Shalala said.
General McCaffrey said: "Watch this population. It's cheaper to deal with them now than when they enter the criminal justice system."
The study found a 21 percent drop from 1997 to 1999 among those 12 to 17 who said they had used an illegal drug in the month before they were surveyed. That is, 9 percent of those 12 to 17 reported using an illicit drug in 1999 compared with 11.4 percent in 1997.
The use of marijuana in that age group showed a steeper decline than overall drug use, declining by 26 percent. While 9.4 percent of the young people surveyed in 1997 said they had used marijuana in the preceding month, only 7 percent of those surveyed last year said they had. Since marijuana remains the most popular illicit drug among youths, the officials said that they found its decline in popularity encouraging.
But the survey results among people 18 to 25 -- who are among those most likely to commit crimes -- showed a worsening problem, at least recently. Use of illicit drugs by that group rose 28 percent in two years; that is, 14.7 percent reported drug use in 1997, compared with 18.8 percent in 1999.
A statement issued with the findings predicted that those in the 18-to-25 group, "which includes many of those who formed their attitudes about drug use and began to use them in the early 1990's," will continue to use drugs at a relatively high rate as they age.
A far higher percentage of people who were in the 18-to-25 group two decades ago were drug users, government data released today showed. About 38 percent in that age group used illegal drugs in 1979. The percentage declined steadily to just under 15 percent in the mid-1990's before climbing again.
The change in the 12-to-17 group is less stark.
About 16 percent reported using illegal drugs in 1979. The percentage declined until 1992, when it began a see-saw pattern.
For the total population aged 12 and older, the rate of illicit drug use has remained flat for several years. The government estimated that 14.8 million Americans, or 6.7 percent of those 12 and older, had used drugs in the month before they were surveyed. In 1979, the percentage was roughly twice as high.
The annual survey released today was done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, headed by Dr. Nelba Chavez, in Dr. Shalala's department.
Previous surveys relied on a sample of about 18,000 people who were questioned in person or through paper forms. The latest survey used the old methodology and a new, computer-based questionnaire that expanded the sample size to almost 70,000 people. In this way, Dr.
Shalala and General McCaffrey said, they can reliably gauge the latest trends while establishing a more comprehensive base of data for future studies. Detailed findings from the study are available at www.samhsa.gov on the Internet.
The government noted that the latest study did not cover active-duty military personnel, people in prison or drug-treatment centers or homeless people not in shelters when the survey was conducted.
Alaska had the highest rate of illicit drug use (10.7 percent of those aged 12 and older) and Virginia the lowest (4.7 percent). The rate among American Indians and Alaska Natives was 10.6 percent. For blacks, it was 7.7 percent, and for whites, 6.6 percent. Asian-Americans had the lowest rate, 3.2 percent.
The survey is a cornucopia of information, and not just on illegal drugs. It estimates that 6,400 people tried marijuana for the first time in 1998. That year, an estimated 1.6 million people -- half younger than 18 -- took up cigarette smoking. And 4.9 million tried cigars for the first time in 1998, up from 1.5 million new cigar smokers in 1991.

source: the New York Times