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REMARKS BY: DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLACE: 2000 Monitoring The Future, Washington, D.C. DATE: December 18, 2000
I also want to thank our great team: Alan Leshner and the National Institute on Drug Abuse; Enoch Gordis and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Nelba Chavez (who departed HHS just last Friday), Joe Autry, Ruth Sanchez-Way and all of their colleagues from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and Surgeon General David Satcher, Bev Malone and their co-workers at the Public Health Service. Together, we have worked long and hard against teenage drug abuse, and although we still haven't achieved victory, our strategy is right and the tide is turning in our favor.
I take great comfort in Yogi Berra's famous adage, "The future ain't what it used to be." Just five years ago, when we released the results of the 1995 Monitoring the Future, I said this: "The trends for marijuana and cigarette use are unmistakably headed the wrong way." But as Scrooge learned in A Christmas Carol, the future is something that may happen - not something that must happen.
So today, I'm pleased to announce that overall illicit drug use, including marijuana, among teens remains stable, and the moderating trend in teen drug use that we have been seeing since 1997 continues. This means that for the fourth year in a row, overall drug use among teenagers has stayed level or declined in all three categories: lifetime, past year, and past month. These findings are consistent with the results of the National Household Survey that we announced last August.
Let me highlight some of the findings from this year's Monitoring the Future.
1. The most heartening news in this year's Monitoring the Future is that there has been a statistically significant decline in overall drug use among 8th graders - a decline that began in 1996 when the rate was 23.6 percent.
Today, that same rate stands at 19.5 percent.
2. Drug use among 10th graders is also down over the past three years - although we cannot yet characterize the decline as significant.
3. For 12th graders, past year use of illicit drugs has remained stable for the last three years - again reversing a trend that had been headed in the wrong direction.
4. The 2000 Monitoring the Future survey shows a significant decline in cigarette use among teenagers - with reductions in all categories and in all grades.
5. There has been a significant drop in the use of cocaine and crack among 12th graders.
6. The news on heroin is a mixed picture.
For 8th graders, past year use decreased from 1.4 percent in 1999 to 1.1 percent in 2000. This statistically significant decline among 8th graders is the first since 1997. On the other hand, heroin use among 12th graders is up. Although the overall number of seniors using heroin is still very low - less than 2 percent - the increase from 1.1 percent to 1.5 percent is troubling.
7. Alcohol use - although remaining stable over the past few years - is still at unacceptably high levels.
Past year use of alcohol among 8th graders - I'm talking about 13 and 14 year-olds - was over 43 percent. Among 10th graders, the rate of binge drinking - that's five or more drinks in a row at least once in the two weeks prior to the survey - was 26.2 percent. For seniors the rate was 30 percent. That is absolutely unacceptable. These young people are still anywhere from 3 to 5 years away from being legal age. They have to know that underage drinking is against the law - and potentially deadly. Since this is the holiday season, let me return for a minute to our friend Scrooge.
He could have ended up with his name on a tombstone. But he didn't. Not simply because he was warned - but because he acted on that warning. This Administration has been giving the same kind of warnings to young people about drugs since the day we took office. That message is: Drugs, alcohol and tobacco will kill your dreams. And they may even kill you.
We've paid particular attention to marijuana and tobacco. Our Department's Marijuana Initiative and our eight-year battle to keep tobacco out of the hands of children are both paying off. On the other hand, we have two new threats: So-called "club drugs" such as ecstasy, which in this year's survey increased at all grade levels, and steroids which went from 1.7 percent to 2.2 percent among 10th graders. The way for teenagers to "pump up" is with physical activity - not pills.
As for ecstasy, when I was in college we used to say: Tell it like it is. With ecstasy that sound advice has been turned on its head. Ecstasy is not a "fun" drug. It is not harmless. It does not simply improve your mood or give you more energy. It is a dangerous drug that can lead to dehydration, hypertension, hyperthermia, and heart or kidney failure. Ecstasy can also have a long-lasting negative impact on the brain - including impairment of memory and motor skills. So we are very concerned about the rise in the use of ecstasy and other drugs that are widely available at raves and dance parties.
But as we learned in our fight against marijuana, we can turn the tide with a comprehensive strategy that includes research and science-based programs, targeted messages that teach but don't preach, and strong partnerships - where government and community leaders work together to give parents, teachers and coaches the tools they need to fight this battle day in and day out.
That's exactly what we're doing with ecstasy. Again, because of our strong belief in the importance of getting the science right, NIDA spent almost 40 million dollars on research into club drugs in 1999, and in fiscal year 2000, we spent 54 million dollars.
We've teamed up with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America and Dr. Drew Pinsky, of MTV's Loveline, to alert parents and young people about the risks associated with ecstasy and other club drugs. As part of our effort to increase public understanding of the dangers of club drugs, we're disseminating science-based information in both English and Spanish. There's now a place on the Internet - NIDA's www.clubdrugs.org - for finding up-to-date information about ecstasy.
Our Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration started an educational program on club drugs that targets not only young adults, but parents, health professionals and community organizations. Today we are announcing the release of a new publication - Tips for Teens: The Truth About Club Drugs - with timely information about drugs used at dance parties.
I should add that we are waging a separate battle against steroids - including a new NIDA web site, www.steroidabuse.org; the release of an updated research report on steroids; and a video that has already reached over 2.3 million households.
Overall, we have seen a consistent leveling off or even downward trend in drug use among teenagers. That is very gratifying. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: We have a lot more work to do.
Congress needs to pass our budget so we can increase our investments in research, prevention and treatment. Parents need to sit down with their children and talk frankly about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. If parents used substances when they were young - be frank about that too. Don't think of a message against drugs as hypocrisy, think of it as wisdom. Teachers, clergy, health professionals, grandparents, neighbors, community leaders - all need to work together. We are the voices teenagers listen to. But if we do not speak - the only lesson young people will learn is that we do not care. That must never happen! Although I will not be here after January 20th, I intend to stay fully engaged in this battle - because this fight is not about partisanship. It's about guardianship - guarding our children's future by keeping them healthy, strong and drug free.
Thank you.