Teen Drug Use Declines in Jackson County
Thursday, April 05, 2001
According to a survey released in December, drug and alcohol use among Jackson County teenagers has significantly dropped in the last two years.
Of the 633 students at 13 county schools surveyed by Portland-based NPC Research Inc., the most dramatic figures were among sixth-graders where marijuana use fell by nearly three-quarters between 1998 and 2000; alcohol use dropped more than 60 percent; and cigarette use was down by more than half.
Tobacco and marijuana use among eighth-graders saw a better than 60 percent decrease, while there was a 40 percent drop in alcohol use. Of the 11th-graders surveyed, marijuana use dropped by nearly 50 percent; cigarette use was down nearly 40 percent; and alcohol use was down 20 percent.
These reductions in drug and alcohol use mirror similar trends at state and national levels.
Hank Collins, Director of Jackson County Health and Human Services, told the Medford Mail Tribune, “We went down significantly for the first time since we started surveying in 1990. We’re below the state average. This is good news.”
The decline in drug and alcohol use can be attributed to the increased collaborative effort among Jackson County agencies, which have stressed prevention by increasing awareness among area teens and families. Such efforts include removing tobacco advertising from convenience stores; expanding the lunch buddy program – a mentoring program for elementary school children; Kids Unlimited, an after-school care program for high-risk children; Southern Oregon Drug Awareness and the opening of VIBES, a teen dance club.
“When the community comes together and sends a strong message from a variety of difference sources, prevention really works,” said Tom Cole, Executive Director of Kids Unlimited of Southern Oregon, “In today’s changing world we need to tap into as many sources as we can to get that message across.”
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