[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 20, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6513-S6514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    KEY INFLUENCES ON YOUTH DRUG USE

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to draw attention to key 
influences in youth drug use as reported in

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a national study, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration, SAMHSA, entitled Risk and Preventive Factors 
for Adolescent Drug Use: Findings from the 1997 National Household 
Survey on Drug Abuse.
  As summarized in the Spring 2001 edition of the magazine SAMHSA News, 
this study reported ``[p]eer use and peer attitudes are two of the 
strongest predictors of marijuana use among all young people.'' For 
youth in the age range of 12-17, using marijuana in the past year was 
39 times higher if close friends had used it versus if they had friends 
who had not used it. The odds for the same age group were 16 times 
higher if adolescents thought their friends would not be ``very upset'' 
if they used marijuana. While peer attitudes were more influential than 
parental attitudes, youth were still 9.6 times more likely to smoke 
marijuana if they viewed their parents ``would not be very upset'' 
versus ``very upset.''
  Other risk factors for past-year marijuana use were the youth's own 
use of alcohol and tobacco, the parent's attitude about alcohol and 
tobacco, if youth could not talk to their parents about serious 
problems, if youth were not enrolled in school, if youth were receiving 
poor grades in school, or if they did not attend religious services 
once a week. Interestingly, the factors that most correlated with 
cigarette use were the same factors associated with alcohol, marijuana, 
and other illegal drugs. Finally, youth who had not received in-school 
drug/alcohol education were slightly more likely to have used marijuana 
in the past year than those who had not. The analysis results were 
uniform across race/ethnicity.
  The average person, much less a teenager, does not wake up one day 
and decide to do a line of cocaine or take a hit of heroin. There is a 
general progression of both actions and attitudes. The so-called 
``softer'' drugs of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and other club or 
synthetic drugs are actually ``gateways'' that precede the use of 
cocaine and heroin. According to a 14-year veteran of drug treatment in 
New York City, the average age of new users she sees has dropped from 
17 or 18 years to now 13. Quoting her from a recent newspaper article, 
``[w]e've seen the age of first use drop dramatically''. . .``[k]ids 
are going from doing marijuana to drugs like ecstasy and rohypnol in 
months.'' A Spartanburg County South Carolina sheriff, also quoted in a 
recent newspaper article, reminds us ``[t]hat the first responsibility 
of parenthood is to protect the child.'' Backing up the SAMSHA 
observations on peers and peer attitudes, he concluded ``parents need 
to pay close attention to the way their children act and who they're 
hanging around with.''
  It may be difficult to raise teenagers or keep your children off all 
illegal substances, but there are some easy first steps and warning 
signs to heed. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA, 
handbook ``Preventing Drug Abuse Among Children and Adolescents,'' the 
best ``protective factors'' include ``strong bonds with parents, 
experience of parental monitoring with clear rules of conduct within 
the family unit, involvement of parents in the lives of their children, 
success in school performance, strong bonds with prosocial institutions 
such as family, school, and religious organizations, and adoption of 
conventional norms about drug use.'' With respect to family 
relationships, NIDA research shows that ``parents need to take a more 
active role in their children's lives, including talking to them about 
drugs, monitoring their activities, getting to know their friends, and 
understanding their problems and concerns.''
  These are simple, positive actions that all of us, as friends, peers, 
coworkers, concerned adults, or parents can start today.

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