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Levels of Drug Use in a Sample of Scottish Independent Secondary School Pupils

NCJ Number
175624
Journal
Drugs: Education Volume: evention and Policy Issue: Dated: Pages: 2 (July 1998)-168
Author(s)
A Forsyth; M Barnard; L Reid; N McKeganey
Date Published
1998
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The lifetime prevalence of substance use among a sample of 557 students drawn from the independent school sector in Scotland was quantified.
Abstract
Questionnaires were successfully completed by 98.6 percent of respondents. Each respondent was asked about the lifetime use of tobacco, alcohol, and 10 illicit drugs. The mean age of respondents was 14.4 years, and about 63 percent reported the lifetime use of tobacco. More than half of smokers had done so within the past 28 days. Alcohol had been consumed by most respondents, and a majority (61.4 percent) reported having experienced at least one episode of drunkenness. As with smoking, more than half of respondents (61.2 percent) who had ever experienced drunkenness had done so during the previous month. About 26 percent reported having used an illegal drug. In line with other studies, the drug most likely to be used was cannabis. The use of other drugs was comparatively low. By secondary school year five (ages 16-17), about 57 percent of respondents had tried an illegal drug. Data indicated a high level of substance use among students was not a phenomenon restricted to comprehensive schools. 19 references, 1 note, 2 tables, and 4 figures