National Study Confirms Teen Drug Use Increasing

Following a decade of steady declines, a new national study released this week by The Partnership at Drugfree.org indicates that teen drug and alcohol use is headed in the wrong direction, with marked increases in teen use of marijuana and ecstasy over the past three years.

The 22nd annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), sponsored by MetLife Foundation, affirms a disturbing trend that has emerged among teens since 2008 and highlights that as underage drinking becomes more normalized among adolescents, parents feel unable to respond to the negative shifts in teen drug and alcohol use. The study surveyed 2,544 teens in both public and private schools in grades 9-12 and interviewed 831 parents nationally.

According to the three-year trend confirmed in this year’s 2010 PATS data, there was a 67 percent increase in the number of teens who reported using ecstasy in the past year (from 6 percent in 2008 to 10 percent in 2010). Similarly, past-year marijuana use among teens increased by 22 percent (from 32 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2010).

The PATS survey also found that parents feel unprepared to respond to underage drinking by their children. Almost a third of parents (28 percent) feel “there is very little parents can do to prevent their kids from trying alcohol.” One in three teens (32 percent) thinks their parents would be ok if they drank beer once in a while; yet only one in ten parents agrees with teens drinking beer at a party.

With prom and graduation approaching, Mothers Against Drunk Driving is equipping parents, with the tools necessary to start talking with their teens about alcohol. CADCA recognizes MADD’s efforts to reach and equip parents for PowerTalk 21™ day—the first national day for parents and teens to start a conversation about alcohol—on April 21.

Here are some ways you can engage parents in your coalition and community around PowerTalk 21 day:

1.) Declare PowerTalk 21, April 21, the day your coalition, community, and family will focus on talking about alcohol.

2.) Distribute electronic or printed copies of the PowerTalk 21 handout with conversation starters about alcohol for teens and parents.

3.)  Encourage parents to visit madd.org/powerofparents to request a free copy of MADD’s parent handbook, a research-based program developed for MADD’s "Power of Parents, It's Your Influence" program that has been shown to significantly reduce underage drinking and associated risks when parents use it to talk with their teens about alcohol.

4.) Gather parents and contact your local MADD affiliate to facilitate a free, 30-minute parent workshop where parents will receive a free parent handbook. Visit madd.org to find a local affiliate.

5.) Learn about how you can implement MADD’s parent program, Power of Parents, in your community. Contact MADD for information on facilitator trainings 1-800-GET-MADD.