American Notes YOUTH, PART 2

The message about the dangers of illegal-drug abuse seems to be getting through, at least to some teenagers. Cocaine use is down among high school students, according to a survey of some 16,000 seniors by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. There was a drop from 6.2% to 4.3% in the proportion who said they had used cocaine in the previous month, and the percentage who have tried cocaine in the past year went down, 12.7% to 10.3%. Marijuana and hashish smoking also declined, continuing a nine-year downward trend. Yet 57% of seniors admitted having tried illicit drugs.

Students have not curtailed their use of more accessible drugs. A majority of youngsters (66%) said they had drunk alcohol within the previous month. Acknowledges Dr. Donald Ian Macdonald, head of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration: "We have a major problem with adolescent drinking."