| List of cities in Texas Houston Dallas San Antonio Austin El Paso Fort Worth Arlington Corpus Christi Plano Garland Lubbock Irving Laredo Amarillo Pasadena Brownsville Grand Prairie Mesquite Abilene Beaumont Waco Carrollton McAllen Wichita Falls Midland Richardson Odessa San Angelo Killeen Tyler Denton Lewisville Longview College Station Baytown Bryan Sugar Land Round Rock Victoria Port Arthur Harlingen Galveston The Woodlands North Richland Hills Temple McKinney Missouri City Flower Mound Edinburg Bedford |
1-888-891-4385
TEXAS DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE ALARMING
Forty percent of sixth-graders surveyed in Texas last spring said they had tried alcohol.
According to a survey conducted by the Angleton, Texas School District, more than two-thirds of ninth-graders said they use alcohol in the past, and five out of six seniors - higher than the national average - said the did same.
Dr. Pat Montgomery, director of academic services, presented the survey at a school board meeting Tuesday night. The survey asked students if they had ever used a variety of drugs ever in their lifetime or in the past month.
While Angleton, Texas seniors were above the national average in some drugs ever consumed, they were below the national average in drugs consumed in the last month.
The results are alarming, Dr. Montgomery said. She said steps were under way to make use of all available resources to Texas students.
She suggested the survey indicated the need for an earlier start on drug use prevention in Texas. It also indicated programs needed to reach a larger percentage of Texas students.
"Once students have started using drugs it is much more difficult to intervene or reduce their use," Dr. Montgomery said, reading from her report.
Seniors responding to the poll said the average age to first get drunk was 15.1 and 14.8 for the first use of marijuana.
Dr. Montgomery pointed to the fact that 24 percent of the Texas seniors first reported using marijuana between the age of 13 to 15, and 20 percent first used the drug between the ages of 16 or older, indicating some of the programs are helping down the line.
Half of the Texas seniors said they never tried marijuana.
Thirty-seven percent of the Texas seniors they never got drunk and 30 percent said they first became drunk between the ages of 13 and 15.
Superintendent Dr. Lynne Perryman said it is "alarming if any students are abusing drugs."
"It is a problem across Texas that schools, the family and Texas communities must face," she said.
Perryman said the solution may well extend past the current programs in place.
While 62 percent of the Texas seniors said they had ever been drunk, which was the national average, 28 percent of the Angleton, Texas seniors said they had been drunk in the past month compared to 30 percent nationally. Fifteen percent of ninth-graders and 2 percent of sixth-graders said they had ever been drunk.
Eleven percent of sixth-graders said they tried alcohol and 39 percent of ninth-graders said they tried alcohol.
Twelve percent of sixth-graders said they had smoked cigarettes in the past month compared to 19 percent of ninth-graders and 25 percent of seniors.
National average is 27 percent. Overall, 28 percent of sixth graders, 48 percent of ninth graders and 49 percent of seniors said they ever tried a cigarette.
Nineteen percent of seniors said they used marijuana in the past month compared to a national average of 27 percent.
Nationally 22 percent of the seniors used marijuana in the past month compared to 19 percent in Angleton. However 20 percent of the ninth grades had used marijuana in the last month. Only four percent of the sixth graders had used marijuana in the past month.
Other drug use was existent but moderate in Angleton and nationally.
While keeping close to the national average in most areas, Angleton seniors far exceeded the norm in consumption of smokeless tobacco.
Thirteen percent of Angleton seniors reported going smokeless in the past month compared to 13 percent nationally. Only four percent of the ninth graders and two percent of the sixth graders used smokeless tobacco in the past month.
Forty percent of sixth-graders surveyed in Texas last spring said they had tried alcohol.
According to a survey conducted by the Angleton, Texas School District, more than two-thirds of ninth-graders said they use alcohol in the past, and five out of six seniors - higher than the national average - said the did same.
Dr. Pat Montgomery, director of academic services, presented the survey at a school board meeting Tuesday night. The survey asked students if they had ever used a variety of drugs ever in their lifetime or in the past month.
While Angleton, Texas seniors were above the national average in some drugs ever consumed, they were below the national average in drugs consumed in the last month.
The results are alarming, Dr. Montgomery said. She said steps were under way to make use of all available resources to Texas students.
She suggested the survey indicated the need for an earlier start on drug use prevention in Texas. It also indicated programs needed to reach a larger percentage of Texas students.
"Once students have started using drugs it is much more difficult to intervene or reduce their use," Dr. Montgomery said, reading from her report.
Seniors responding to the poll said the average age to first get drunk was 15.1 and 14.8 for the first use of marijuana.
Dr. Montgomery pointed to the fact that 24 percent of the Texas seniors first reported using marijuana between the age of 13 to 15, and 20 percent first used the drug between the ages of 16 or older, indicating some of the programs are helping down the line.
Half of the Texas seniors said they never tried marijuana.
Thirty-seven percent of the Texas seniors they never got drunk and 30 percent said they first became drunk between the ages of 13 and 15.
Superintendent Dr. Lynne Perryman said it is "alarming if any students are abusing drugs."
"It is a problem across Texas that schools, the family and Texas communities must face," she said.
Perryman said the solution may well extend past the current programs in place.
While 62 percent of the Texas seniors said they had ever been drunk, which was the national average, 28 percent of the Angleton, Texas seniors said they had been drunk in the past month compared to 30 percent nationally. Fifteen percent of ninth-graders and 2 percent of sixth-graders said they had ever been drunk.
Eleven percent of sixth-graders said they tried alcohol and 39 percent of ninth-graders said they tried alcohol.
Twelve percent of sixth-graders said they had smoked cigarettes in the past month compared to 19 percent of ninth-graders and 25 percent of seniors.
National average is 27 percent. Overall, 28 percent of sixth graders, 48 percent of ninth graders and 49 percent of seniors said they ever tried a cigarette.
Nineteen percent of seniors said they used marijuana in the past month compared to a national average of 27 percent.
Nationally 22 percent of the seniors used marijuana in the past month compared to 19 percent in Angleton. However 20 percent of the ninth grades had used marijuana in the last month. Only four percent of the sixth graders had used marijuana in the past month.
Other drug use was existent but moderate in Angleton and nationally.
While keeping close to the national average in most areas, Angleton seniors far exceeded the norm in consumption of smokeless tobacco.
Thirteen percent of Angleton seniors reported going smokeless in the past month compared to 13 percent nationally. Only four percent of the ninth graders and two percent of the sixth graders used smokeless tobacco in the past month.
