Trends in drug use distrubing

To the editor:
As we enter into the new-year there are some disturbing trends that we as a community need to pay attention to.  According to Monitoring the Future (MTF), a nationally representative annual survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), we are seeing an increase in the abuse of certain drugs.  
One such trend involves the use by 12th graders of synthetic marijuana (specifically Spice and K2), which consists of leaves of an ordinary plant sprayed by chemicals that mimic the mind-altering effects of marijuana.  For the first time the survey included a question on past-year use of synthetic marijuana among high school seniors.
The results indicated that the prevalence of use in the past year was estimated at 11.4 percent.
This ranks synthetic marijuana as the second most frequently used illicit substance, after marijuana, among high school seniors.
The survey also shows us that although there were no significant increases in the reported use of marijuana over the past year there has been a significant increase over the past five years in two out of the three grade levels surveyed.  
•Past-month use of marijuana among 10th graders increased from 14.2 percent in 2006 to 17.6 percent in 2011
•Past-month use of marijuana among 12th graders increased from 18.3 percent in 2006 to 22.6 percent in 2011.
•Past-month use of marijuana among 8th graders increased from 6.5 percent in 2006 to 7.2 percent in 2011.
It is my belief that the trends above are occurring here in our community and it is something that we will need to monitor and combat throughout the new-year and into the future.  
The Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition welcomes you to support us in these efforts by attending our next meeting on January 23rd at 3:30 pm in the conference room of the East Jay Middle School.
PJ Corwin
Jay County Drug
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