12/19/2003
The federal government's $180 million youth anti-drug media campaign may be paying dividends in terms of reduced youth marijuana use, according to data released today from the 2003 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey. Tobacco, Ecstasy and LSD use also showed substantial declines. But the report's lead researcher says that while there is plenty of good news this year, the survey has some troubling warning signs about future drug-use trends.
The 2003 survey found that current use of marijuana fell 11 percent over the past two year, matching a goal set by the Bush administration, which has focused the bulk of its anti-drug advertising on marijuana use.
"Fewer teens are using drugs because of the deliberate and serious messages they have received about the dangers of drugs from their parents, leaders, and prevention efforts like our National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign ," said John Walters, director of the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) .
University of Michigan researcher Lloyd Johnston, the principal investigator for the survey, said it is "quite possible" that the media campaign "has had its intended effect." Johnson told Join Together that he drew this conclusion because the proportion of kids who say they have been exposed to anti-drug ads and that view marijuana negatively has risen as pot use has declined.
"You put these facts together and it looks like [the campaign] is having an effect," he said. "It's a logical deduction on our part; it hasn't been proven empirically."
Overall, current use of any illicit drug fell 11 percent between 2001 and 2003. However, one-third of students surveyed currently use alcohol, down 7 percent from 2001 but unchanged from 2002.
The data, while positive overall, were not universally heartening.
Good News on Illicit Drugs, But Attention to Alcohol Needed
David Rosenbloom, director of Join Together, called the data on illicit drug use and tobacco "very good news." But he said that the prevalence of alcohol as the nation's top drug of abuse among adolescents continues to be a cause for concern.
"It's distressing that progress against alcohol use -- the most frequently consumed illicit substance for teenagers -- has stalled over the past year," said Rosenbloom. "There are strong governmental and voluntary activities directed against illicit drug and tobacco use by children. But there is virtually no concerted action against teen drinking. We need a strong nationwide effort, consistent with the 2003 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommendations , that involves parents, teens, governments, and private organizations in concerted action to prevent and reduce drinking by young people."
For Curley's full report, go to http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/features/reader/0,1854,568289,00.html .