High Percentage of Arizona Students Using Drugs

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on November 11, 2014 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

In a state where drugs are a constant threat, whether because they are smuggled across the border or because many residents are addicted to some sort of substance, it may not be too shocking that a third of Arizona students are using illegal drugs. State officials recently reported that more students in the Arizona are abusing drugs than ever before.

Surveys conducted last spring and reported their findings earlier this month, which showed that one-third of the 48,000 school-aged children in 8th, 10th and 12th grades reported that they had used drugs within the past month. When questioned on where they obtained the drugs, 75% of the children reported receiving drugs from their friends. Friends were responsible for providing alcohol, tobacco products, prescription drugs and marijuana.

Due to the fact that more people are able to obtain marijuana from a medical marijuana card, the number of young people receiving marijuana from those who have legally obtained the drug rose as well. In fact, that rose from 11.6 percent just a couple of years ago to 14.3 percent this year.

The hope is that with this new information law enforcement, teachers and parents can make a more concentrated effort on handling the drug problem among Arizona children. Understanding and knowing where children are obtaining their drugs is a good step. Parents can be more aware of their children’s friends and monitor their activities more closely. While these new efforts will by no means eliminate the drug problem among children in Arizona, officials hope that the information can be used to their advantage.

Staying on top of current trends in drug use and associated behaviors will allow people to adapt and develop new programs for drug education and prevention.