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Media Release
November 19, 2001
Tobacco Use Down but
Heavy Drinking Remains a Problem
Results of latest study
of Ontario youth drug use
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ø Tobacco
use is down but heavy drinking remains a problem among youth according
to the results of the 2001
Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS), the longest
ongoing study of adolescent drug use in Canada, released today by the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
The 2001 OSDUS is the first survey to show no dominant increases in drug
use since 1991. "The escalating trend in drug use, which began in
the early 1990s, has generally subsided," according to Dr. Edward
Adlaf, senior scientist at CAMH and associate professor, Department of
Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, who conducted the study
along with co-author, research associate, Angela Paglia. "The 80Õs
were a period of decline of drug use; the 90Õs had a resurgence; and in
2001, the good news is that illicit drug use among youth isnÕt growing;
the bad news is itÕs still higher than it was in the early 90Õs,"
Adlaf said.
CAMHÕs 2001 OSDUS is the most recent in a series of 13 surveys
spanning over two decades conducted every two years since 1977. In the
spring of 2001, 4,211 students in grades seven through 13 (OAC) participated
in the survey administered by the Institute for Social Research, York
University.
Between 1999 and 2001, three drugs decreased significantly in their use:
cigarettes (from 29% to 24%), solvents (7% to 6%) and LSD (7% to 5%).
In spite of the halt in the upward trend of drug use between 1999 and
2001, most drug measures remained significantly higher in 2001 than they
were in 1993, most notably alcohol. In 2001 vs. 1993, 63% of youth surveyed
reported drinking alcohol vs. 57%. And 25% of youth have engaged in binge
drinking (i.e., drinking five or more drinks at one time) vs. 18%. The
percentage of young people getting drunk has also increased from 17% in
1993 to 27% in 2001.
Other study highlights included:
- Students today are not using alcohol, tobacco or cannabis at an early
age.
- Percentage of new users has not increased over time.
- Although rates of drinking and driving among licensed students remained
stable at 15%, about 32% of all students report being a passenger in
a vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking and 19% of drivers
reported driving after using cannabis.
- Perceptions about the risks of using cannabis, cocaine and LSD seem
to be weakening over time.
- Toronto students use alcohol at a lower than average rate while western
Ontario students report above average use of cannabis, heroin, methamphetamine,
cocaine, crack, hallucinogens and ecstasy. Northern Ontario students
have a higher rate of alcohol and binge drinking.
- Females reported higher rates of non-medical stimulant use while males
report higher rates of heavy drinking, cannabis, glue, methamphetamine,
LSD and hallucinogens.
- Drug use was lowest among 7th graders and highest among
11th- or 12th-graders ø with the exception of
inhalants that showed greater use among younger students.
"WeÕre very pleased that smoking has declined among Ontario students,"
said Andrea Stevens Lavigne, Director of CAMHÕs Communications, Education
and Community Health department, who is encouraged by some of the results
of the latest OSDUS, particularly in the drop of tobacco use. She
believes that the many national, provincial and community tobacco prevention
initiatives, including anti-smoking by-laws, have contributed to this
decline. "OSDUS is a great tool for showing us where weÕve been successful
in our prevention and education efforts and the work we still have left
to do," Stevens Lavigne said.
The OSDUS has been instrumental in providing the basis for Ontario
youth programming as it relates to drugs and alcohol. The Centre, as part
of the Ontario Drug Awareness Partnership (ODAP), today released the video,
For the Record, produced by a student filmmaker who witnessed an
incident of alcohol poisoning. The video to be launched across the province
by ODAP during this weekÕs Drug Awareness Week (November 18 to 24) will
be used to raise awareness with students and parents about risks of over-drinking
and liability.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a World Health Organization
Centre of Excellence and a teaching hospital
fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, was established in 1998
through the merger of the Addiction Research Foundation, the Clarke Institute
of Psychiatry, the Donwood Institute and the Queen Street Mental Health
Centre.
ODAP is a partnership of health and education agencies funded by the
Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to increase drug awareness in their
communities.
For more information, please contact Anne Ptasznik, Media Relations
Coordinator, CAMH, at (416) 595-6015.
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1-800-463-6273