Youths offer hope in drug war

Sunday's feature about drug use at work touched on such an important issue. Contrary to a user's point of view, drug use or influence at the office doesn't just affect the user; the decreased productivity at minimum affects not only the company's bottom line, but the workload of coworkers who have to take up the slack. I recently spoke with a local man who complained of just that; he's tired of smelling marijuana on his coworker and doing twice the work.

The Press article quoted Larry Hedberg with Drug Free Idaho, whose statement that the U.S. ranks No. 1 in the world for drug use is confirmed by international statistics. With only 5 percent of the world's population, he said, we consume 60 percent of the drugs.

The news isn't all bad. Among young people trends are actually declining. The DEA's national survey data from 1975 to 2008 show that among 12- to 20-year-olds, the prevalence of alcohol use has been in gradual decline. Smoking, considered the "gateway" to other drugs, is at its lowest point in survey history, although in 2009 numbers remained steady.

The good news is that meth, cocaine, and hallucinogenic drug use have fallen steadily in this age group. The bad news is that after a declining trend since the '90s, marijuana use by young people has leveled off. Some increases in non-medical use of painkillers such as Vicodin/hydrocodone and oxycodone have occurred among 10th-graders. Over half got them from a friend or relative.

Among Idaho adults, home grown marijuana (as well as buds coming over the Canadian border) and "club drugs" such as Ecstasy remain a strong concern. Meth labs continue to challenge law enforcement. While DEA reports show drug-related arrests in Idaho plummeted in 2006, they headed up again the following year.

Yet while officers and courts have their work cut out for them, a grain of hope lies in the general declines among youth. College enrollments and application trends are at all-time highs. Education is the best source of hope; the more education and corresponding income level, the lower rates of legal and illegal drug use.

Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. E-mail [email protected]