Kids are learning drugs are harmful
But not enough are learning it from their parents.
by Thomas A. Hedrick

TWEENS & TEENS News May 2004


There’s good news to share about teen drug use in America: Teenagers are increasingly saying “no” to some of the dangerous substances readily available in neighborhoods across the country. A recent report from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that drug use among teens is down ten percent in the past five years— that’s encouraging. But the report also shows that only one in three kids is learning a lot about drugs from their parents— and that’s a missed opportunity.

One area of particular progress in the report was in teen use of the drug Ecstasy. Ecstasy (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) use among teens in grades 7 through 12 dropped 25 percent in the past two years. It is a psychoactive drug with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties that can have damaging health effects such as severe dehydration, seizures and heart failure. While much is unknown about the long-term effects of Ecstasy, it’s use may damage the parts of the brain that play an important role in regulating mood, appetite, pain, learning and memory.

Ecstasy grew in popularity in the late 1990s. Found in tablet form in different colors and with different symbols, many of them familiar logos, cartoon characters or sports team emblems, its whimsical look and slang terms such as “love drug” or “hug drug,” led many teens to believe that Ecstasy was harmless. What followed was an alarming 71 percent rise in teen use of Ecstasy from 1999 to 2001— with more than one in ten teens reporting trying the drug. Meanwhile, most parents had never even heard of Ecstasy.

An extensive Ecstasy education advertising campaign by the Partnership sought to help parents and teens understand the very real dangers associated with the drug. Two years later, research indicates the popularity of Ecstasy is tapering off and use has dropped an astounding 25 percent since its peak in 2001— meaning 770,000 fewer teens tried Ecstasy in this two-year period. The advertising appears to be working. Teens who frequently saw anti-drug ads were significantly less likely to use Ecstasy, and the number of teens that say they have “learned a lot” about the risks of drugs from anti-drug advertising increased 65 percent in the past five years.
While advertising may help educate teens about drugs, not enough kids are learning about the dangers of drugs from their parents. Only 30 percent of teens say they learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home. Considering the power of parents who get involved, teens who learned a lot about the risks of drugs at home were 57 percent less likely to try Ecstasy.

Despite progress on Ecstasy, one of every two teens reported using drugs in 2003. Of particular concern to the parents of tweens, inhalant abuse is on the rise and fewer kids see risk in using inhalants to get high. Inhalants are ordinary household products that are inhaled or sniffed to get high. There are hundreds of household products on the market today that can be misused as inhalants such as gasoline, cleaning fluids, fabric protector and others. They can cause intoxicating effects, and sniffing highly concentrated amounts of these chemicals can directly induce heart failure and even death. Younger adolescents are more likely than older adolescents to abuse inhalants.

This information speaks volumes to parents about preventing tweens from ever trying drugs. While few tweens are exposed to drugs in grade school, exposure skyrockets in middle school. The average age of first use of drugs is between 13 and 14, making it critical that tween parents start early and often educating their kids about the dangers of drugs. Keep in mind grandparents, mentors and big brothers and sisters can help too. Drug use is a choice that every child faces. Make sure yours knows how to make the right decision.