Marijuana and drinking are on the rise among young Santa Cruz County teens, according to the biennial California Healthy Kids Survey.
The survey reports on drug and alcohol use, violence, obesity rates and school connectedness in Santa Cruz County youth. The report, released Monday, Oct. 26, surveyed 6,270 students countywide in fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th grades in February.
The numbers speak for themselves.
Thirty-six percent of high school freshmen countywide report that they have been “very drunk” or sick from alcohol, up from 29 percent in 2005. Sixteen percent of seventh-grade students report recent binge drinking, up from 10 percent in 2005. The percentages are higher than state levels, the report said.
While binge drinking has gone up, more freshmen report thinking that alcohol is harmful — 7 percent more than in 2005.
Bill Manov, director of alcohol and drug services for the county’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, said the rise in perceiving alcohol as harmful is the first step in decreasing future drinking habits.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Manov said.
Students seem much more accepting of marijuana use, however. Twenty-six percent of freshmen who took the survey reported that they had used marijuana in the previous 30 days, up from 18 percent in 2005. Half of juniors reported that they had tried the drug.
“It’s going in the wrong direction. Marijuana use in Santa Cruz County is higher than the state,” Manov said.
Prescription drug abuse is also on the rise. Nineteen percent of ninth-graders said they have taken painkillers without a doctor’s recommendation, up from 15 percent in 2007.
Cigarette use also increased by three or four percentage points among high school students since 2007, while 6 percent more students said they think frequent use of cigarettes is harmful, the report said.
The survey showed a new generation of youth — 88 percent — who spend at least two hours a day watching TV or playing video games, not counting computer and Internet use.
“We have very limited resources,” Manov said. “But we need to use intervention as part of the economic recovery in helping the future of our youth.”
