The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports only partial success in meeting the national goals for 1990 for reducing drug, alcohol, and cigarette use among teenagers.
The cdc said two of its goals for 1990--that the percentage of teenagers who say they abstain from alcohol or other drugs should not fall below 1977 levels, and that the percentage of teenagers who report frequent use of marijuana and other drugs should not exceed 1977 levels--have not been entirely met.
According to the cdc, the percentage of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 who say they shun alcohol and marijuana has increased since 1977, from 68.8 percent to 74.8 percent for alcohol, and from 83.4 percent to 93.6 percent for marijuana. But the percentage of cocaine abstainers decreased, the agency said, from 99.2 percent in 1977 to 98.9 percent last year.
Frequent use of marijuana and other drugs has also decreased among teenagers in that age group, the cdc said.
Teenagers were also more aware of the risks posed by the frequent use of tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana, but were less aware of the risks posed by barbituates, the agency reported.
The agency based its findings on data supplied by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
