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Cigarette, pot use down in student survey

Alcohol remains the top concern; half say they have tried it.

By LETITIA STEIN
Published January 27, 2007

TAMPA - Hillsborough County students are getting the anti-drug message. When it comes to marijuana and cigarettes, a new survey shows that more and more are saying no.

Six years ago, almost one in three middle and high school students surveyed had tried pot. Now it's one in five.

These days, Hillsborough students are more likely to have gone binge drinking in the last month than to have smoked cigarettes. Nine percent lit up in the last 30 days, down from 19 percent in 2000. But half have tried alcohol at some point.

"There's always work to be done," said Alice Loeb, a schools administrator who coordinates anti-drug education. "We can't slack up on our efforts."

Responses from about 1,700 middle and high school students were used in the survey, which has been administered every two years since 2000.

Blake High senior Flossie Alford knows teens who party with marijuana and alcohol. But she says she doesn't like to hang out with them.

"I see that ain't good for me," the 17-year-old said. "I refuse to die my last year in high school."

Alford apparently got the message that anti-drug groups in Hillsborough have teamed up to drive home.

"It's not just saying no anymore," said Regina Birrenkott, Hillsborough program director for the Mendez Foundation, which offers drug education classes in the schools. "We have to give kids something to say yes to."

Like being healthy.

In a sixth-grade classroom at Wilson Middle, students named a long list of things that they should stay away from: Tobacco. Violence. Sleeping in late.

Most students raised their hands when asked if they knew about the drinking that goes on at Gasparilla this weekend.

But is it cool?

"When people are drunk, they say that they're trashed," said Jen Clark, a Mendez Foundation teacher. "Do you want to be compared to a piece of garbage?"

The Mendez classes, which also deal with decision-making, reach students in middle school and through a high school health class. Elementary schools also have an anti-drug curriculum.

Eleven-year-old Madeline Mangar says she knows how she'll handle a future decision about using drugs and alcohol.

"I would say no," the sixth-grader said. "It's bad for you, and it's dangerous."

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story. Letitia Stein can be reached at lstein@sptimes.com or 813 226-3400.

Drug survey

Among the key findings:

- Alcohol remains Hillsborough's biggest problem. In 2000, 35 percent of students reported drinking in the last month. In 2006, about 28 percent did.

- Prescription drug use is a concern. About 7 percent of students surveyed had tried a prescription pain reliever. Four percent had taken a doctor-prescribed amphetamine.

- Thirty percent of the students used an illicit drug at least once. For 18 percent, that meant a drug other than marijuana.

[Last modified January 27, 2007, 06:06:57]