Marijuana and alcohol use among Genesee County's 11th graders has dropped significantly since 2000, GCASA Director David Markham reports on his blog, GCASA cares.
In 2000, 25.7 percent of the 11th graders surveyed reported using marijuana in the previous 30 days. By 2008, that number dropped to 15.9 percent. (post)
In 2000, 51.9 percent reported drinking in the previous 30 days. In 2008, the number dropped to 38.2 percent. (post)
He said the data comes from a survey administered by GCASA every two years to the county's 6th through 12th graders.
Apparently, the 2010 data is not yet available since Markham does not share those numbers.
Markham concludes his post with a question: How do you account for the change?
The data is definitely
The data is definitely flawed. Stop by any high school on a Monday morning and sit in a room and listen the conversations taking place and you will quickly learn of the partying and other things that went on over the weekend. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that when you give kids a survey asking if they do drugs or alcohol they are not going to always tell the truth. As a teacher and coach I would be willing to bet that kids are less honest every year because it is more publicized how many kids get in trouble for participating in such activities.
To champion this as a "we are winning the war" would be just lip service to a problem that is at the very least staying at the same levels as it was a few years ago (and I would be willing to guess that it is growing).