Published: June 09, 2009 12:19 pm      

Illicit teen drug use increases

Ada — First-time drug users seem to be getting younger and younger. According to the 2008 Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, children in sixth and eighth grades are using more drugs while 10th and 12th-grade drug use remains steady and even slightly increasing.

“The national average of first use of alcohol, marijuana, meth, anything, any substance was 10 years old,” said Vicki Orsburn, executive director of Ada Area Chemical Dependency Center. “That’s a scary thought to me.”

The study shows sixth and eighth-graders appear to have increased their use of marijuana, with 1 percent of sixth-graders and 6.2 percent of eighth-graders using the drug within the last month. That is over 1,200 of the 35,651 who took the survey.

Many officials have called marijuana the “gateway” drug, because those who use harsher drugs started to use marijuana first. But some believe alcohol may lead to increased drug use.

“Alcohol is one of the biggest problems with youth,” Jeff Dismukes, spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services said. “People see it as a right of passage. There is no good time for kids to start drinking.”

The use of alcohol increased in all grades, with 8.4 percent of sixth-graders, 23.4 percent of eighth-graders, 35.6 percent of 10th-graders and 45.9 percent of 12th-graders using alcohol in the last month. This is 15,517 out of 60,720 students, 1-in-4.

“It’s pitiful,” Orsburn said.

More harmful drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy, have also increased in use in all grades.

Cocaine use has increased from .3 percent of sixth-graders using it in 2006 to .4 percent of them using it in 2008. Eighth-grade students increased from .5 percent in 2006 to .7 percent in 2008. Tenth and 12th-graders each increased their use by a tenth of a percent.

“Sure, I think there’s a problem,” Chris Ross, Pontotoc County district attorney said.

More sixth-graders used ecstasy, from .1 percent in 2006 to .2 percent in 2008. Eighth-graders increased their use from .6 percent in 2006 to .8 percent in 2008.

Tenth and 12th-graders’ use increased by 0.3 and 0.7 percent respectively. The total number of students who used cocaine and ecstasy stands at 1,046 of the 60,720.

There is a new section of the survey for those who have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Ross said this is a problem for the county.

“It’s the second leading cause of unnatural death,” he said.

The survey showed that 4,136 of the 60,720 students have misused prescription drugs, nearly seven percent.

“All of a sudden it’s here,” Orsburn said.

The drug perceived to be more prevalent in this area is methamphetamine, especially when a government-sponsored program called “Crystal Darkness” is initiated to combat the drug.

Interestingly, meth use by 10th and 12th-graders has slightly declined while sixth and eighth-grade use of the drug has slightly increased.

About 320 students of the over 60,000 have used meth in the past month.

“There’s an issue, and we need to do something about it,” Orsburn said.