State Stix
Youth and drugs

Drug use among Illinois young people declined slightly between 1990 and 1993, according to a recently released study done by the state Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

The agency surveyed more than 13,000 young people in grades seven through 12. Its 1993 survey, the basis for the charts on this page, was a followup to a 1990 study.

Though use has dropped marginally, the study also revealed the ready availability of alcohol and marijuana, the widespread use of alcohol and the high correlation between substance use and other risky behaviors.

Donald Sevener

Table 1. Students, grades seven through 12, reporting use of any substance dur- ing their lifetime
		Percent
		1990	1993
Female		71.5	66.6
Male		68.3	67.1
Grade:
	7th	51.3	47.3
	8th	61.6	61.5
	9th	67.9	67.2
	10th	76.1	73
	11th	90.9	76.3
	12th	85.5	80.1
Region:	Cook County	65.7	64.6
	Non-Cook County	73.1	68.5
Ethnic:
	African-American	56.4	53.9
	Hispanic	68.7	67.5
	White	73.6	71.2
Total		69.8	66.8