How Big Is the Problem?
What Are the Facts?
Many adolescents say they began experimenting with substances when they were children. Unfortunately, we don't have much information on the extent of drug abuse among children. But surveys of youth tell a frightening story. For example, according to a Federal Government's 1997 Monitoring the Future Study, by the time they reached the eighth grade:
- Alcohol -- More than 54 percent of the children surveyed had tried alcohol.
- Tobacco -- Forty-seven percent had tried cigarettes.
- Marijuana -- Twenty-three percent of eighth graders had smoked marijuana at least once and 10 percent smoked it within the past 30 days -- up from 3 percent in 1991. Also, kids find it's easy to get and think it's safe to use.
- Inhalants -- Twenty-one percent had experimented with inhalants, Inexpensive and easily found in products such as glue, aerosols, and solvents, these dangerous substances are most often abused in early adolescence.
Last Updated: March 4, 2002
