National Survey on American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIII: Teens and Parents, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), August 2008

The 13th annual back-to-school survey continues to track attitudes of teens and parents about the drug situation in middle and high schools.  This years study looked more closely at parents and how their attitudes and behavior line up with their kids’ attitudes and behaviors. The survey identified problem parents – parents who fail to monitor their children’s school night activities, safeguard their prescription drugs, address the problem of drugs in their children’s schools and set good examples – and how they increase the risk that their 12- to 17- year old children will smoke, drink and use illegal and prescription drugs.

The survey revealed that the later teens are out of the house hanging out with friends on school nights, the likelier alcohol and drug use will be going on among them.

• Almost half (46 percent) of 12- to 17- year olds report leaving their house to hang out with friends on school nights;
• Of those teens, 50 percent who come home after 10:00 p.m. say that drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana or other drug use occurs;
• Of those teens, 29 percent who come home between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. say that drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana or other drug use occurs;
• Only 14 percent of parents say that their teens usually leave the house to hang out with friends on school nights.

For the first time in the survey’s history, more teens said prescription drugs were easier to buy than beer (19 percent versus 15 percent).   The majority of teens (34 percent) said they get prescription drugs from their home, parents, or the medicine cabinet and 31 percent said from friends or classmates.

The survey also found that there is a failure by parents to address the problem of drugs in schools.

• Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of high school students and one in five (21 percent) middle school students say drugs are used, kept, or sold on their school grounds;
• Of those surveyed 44 percent of high school students and 16 percent of middle school students know of a location near the school where kids go to get high;
• Ninety-seven percent of all parents surveyed and 96 percent of parents who believe their teens’ schools are not drug free say it’s important that their teens school be drug free; 
• Forty-two percent of parents think their teens’ school is not drug free, and only 39 percent of those parents believe that making the school drug free is a realistic goal;
• One-third of parents believe that the presence of illegal drugs in their teens’ school does not make it more likely that their teen will try them.

Of the teens surveyed, one-quarter know a parent of a classmate or friend who uses marijuana and ten percent of these teens say the parent smokes marijuana with people the teen’s age.

• Forty-two percent of teens aged 12- to 17-year olds can buy marijuana in a day or less.  This is a 35 percent increase (1.1 million teens)
• Twenty-three percent say they can by marijuana in an hour or less.  This is a 14 percent increase (1.4 million teens) over last year.

The full report can be found on http://www.casacolumbia.org.