YOUTH DRUG SURVEY IDENTIFIES EMERGING TRENDSN E W S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release March 6, 2007
VANCOUVER - Young people in Vancouver are more likely to experiment with using alcohol and other drugs than youth in the rest of Canada, but relatively few young people go on to use drugs in an abusive manner, according to a survey conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health.
The results of the youth drug survey provide critical information we need to develop relevant, effective health promotion and treatment programs to best reach youth,” said Dr. Cameron Duff, Manager of Youth Addiction Services for Vancouver Coastal Health.
Collecting information from young people directly ensures the Health Authority stays in front of what’s taking place in young people’s lives.”
VCH’s addictions team conducted the survey of 600 young people late last summer. Called This is not a Test, the survey found that marijuana is the drug most commonly available to young people, with 85 percent of participants having been offered marijuana at least once in the last 12 months. However, only 54 percent report having smoked marijuana in the last year. A similar percentage of young people have tried smoking cigarettes. Nine out of 10 youth surveyed have tried alcohol and many use it regularly.
More than half of the respondents rated their ability to get magic mushrooms or ecstasy as ‘very easy’ or ‘fairly easy’, while about one in three said the same for drugs such as crystal meth, cocaine, crack, and GHB.
VCH expects that the results of the survey will be used to enhance health promotion activities that are currently underway. The strength-based approach already applied in Vancouver recognizes that young people who are connected to family, peers, school and the community, are more likely to make healthy choices about the use of alcohol and other drugs.
Five research assistants from Vancouver Coastal Health hit the streets of Vancouver last summer, talking to youth between the ages of 16 and 25, and asking them about their knowledge and use of alcohol and other drugs.
The survey was designed to generate useful data on current and emerging trends among these young users, examine the pathways that lead some young people to become involved in harmful use, and identify new areas or issues that require further investigation,” said Dr. Duff.
Among the more specific findings:
· Marijuana is perceived as the least risky drug to try, while heroin, crystal meth and crack are seen as the most risky. For all drugs, the perceived risks increase with frequency of use.
· One-third of youth surveyed tried using a drug because they were curious and wanted to see what it was like.
· Young people who don’t use drugs or aren’t interested in trying cite concerns about the harm to their health, or fear their families will find out.
· One in five say a parent provided them with their first glass of alcohol.
· Hearing stories about the experiences of drug users they know is a factor in the prevention message.
· Most young people get information about drugs from the Internet or their friends.
The survey also provides information along the lines of gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation:
· Young men are more likely to have used marijuana, mushrooms and cocaine. They are also twice as likely as their female counterparts to report difficulty stopping or cutting down on marijuana use.
· More females than males have tried ecstasy.
· Aboriginal youth are most likely to have tried any of the drugs included in the survey. Caucasian youth are the second most likely.
· Chinese, East Asian and South Asian youth are less likely than other ethnicities to try drugs such as crystal meth, crack and heroin, and slightly less likely to try ecstasy, marijuana and mushrooms.
· Gay youth are at greater risk than straight youth to try all types of drugs, and bisexual youth are even more likely than gay youth to experiment.
The youth drug survey is part of Capable Kids, Vancouver Coastal Health’s strength-based model that focuses on the development of capable, confident young people who have the tools they need to make healthy choices about the use of alcohol and other drugs.
The School-Aged Children and Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (SACY) is currently a Capable Kids program being piloted in two Vancouver schools. A partnership with the Vancouver School Board, SACY is designed to get parents, students, teachers and school administrators together to talk openly about drug and alcohol-related issues in Vancouver schools. The results from the youth drug survey will help to inform these discussions.
- 30 -
For media enquiries, please contact:
Viviana Zanocco
Senior Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 604-708-5282
Source: Jason Schwartz Addiction and Recovery News 8 March 2007
