Positive Statistics
The results from the MTF survey from 2009 are in general very positive. According to the research, there were drops in tobacco, methamphetamine (from 2.3% to 1.6%), cocaine (from 4.4% to 3.4%), alcohol, and hallucinogen (from 5.9% to 4.7%) use among 8-12th graders. It seems that adolescents’ attitudes towards substance abuse are also more encouraging. Teens now see certain drugs and alcohol as harmful, and do not believe these drugs are very available to students anymore. These trends have been positive in these areas for the past 5 years, as more and more students become more educated and aware of the risks for drug abuse.
These trends are great; they are exactly what we want to see among our young people. But we have to be careful not to get too relaxed and think we are doing a good enough job with drug prevention. We still need to educate more youth, and there are still plenty of kids that are abusing these substances that need our help.