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CADCA Calls for Increased Investment in Prevention in Response to 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey
Issues: Binge Drinking, Cough Medicine Abuse, Over the Counter Drug Abuse, Prescription Drug Abuse, Underage drinking
Drug type: Alcohol, Cocaine, Cough Medicine, Ecstasy, Inhalants, Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Over the Counter, Prescription Drug
Washington, D.C. – The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey, released Monday by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan, showed that while there were slight decreases in the use of cocaine and methamphetamine among youth, marijuana and prescription drug abuse showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, marijuana use among adolescents increased gradually over the past two years after years of declining use; and past year rates of Vicodin and OxyContin abuse increased during the last 5 years among 10th graders and remained unchanged among 8th and 12th graders.
Several drugs showed signs of increasing with attitudes softening for drugs such as marijuana, ecstasy, inhalants and LSD. For example, the percentage of 8th graders who view occasional marijuana use as potentially harmful dropped to 44 percent, compared to 48 percent last year. In addition, the perception of “great risk” associated with marijuana use declined among 8th and 10th graders.
“The 2009 Monitoring the Future survey should be a wake-up call to parents and lawmakers. It shows that our teens still don’t understand the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, such as Vicodin and OxyContin; and they don’t realize the harm that marijuana use can cause,” said General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman and CEO of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). “Beliefs and attitudes about these drugs are going in the wrong direction. The decreases of perception of harm around marijuana and inhalants are especially concerning, as that often leads to an increase in use.
“Community coalitions, which are located across the country, play a critical role in addressing drug abuse in their communities and in implementing strategies to change attitudes and availability. But we need to increase our investment in substance abuse prevention in order to make a dent in these problems. More young people need to get the message that these drugs are harmful if we are to reverse these trends. Now is the time to support community coalitions and their evidence-based prevention efforts.”
CADCA will provide training on community-based strategies to prevent and reduce substance abuse and its related problems at its 20th Annual National Leadership Forum, which will be held Feb. 8-11, 2010 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland. CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is the nation's largest training for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals, and researchers, featuring more than 100 workshops on a wide range of topics—everything from how to prevent prescription drug abuse to how to apply research to community-based prevention efforts. For more information about CADCA’s Forum, visit the Forum Web site. More information on the 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey is available at www.monitoringthefuture.org.
About CADCA
CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America), is the national membership organization representing over 5,000 coalitions and their affiliates working to make America’s communities safe, healthy and drug-free. CADCA's mission is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions by providing technical assistance and training, public policy and advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events.