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Community at Risk: Drug-Free Marion County's Snapshot of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use, 3rd Edition

NCJ Number
211291
Date Published
2005
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This 2003 annual report provides information on the level of substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) in Marion County (Indiana).
Abstract
The report indicates that marijuana use by Marion County eighth graders was significantly higher than State and national figures; and tobacco and alcohol use by eighth graders exceeded State and national norms. The number of retailers willing to sell tobacco to minors decreased significantly, and arrests for drug offenses decreased for both juveniles and adults from 1999 to 2003. Although still a small percentage, the use of methamphetamine by arrestees is increasing while the use of most other substances has stabilized or is declining. The number of alcohol-related traffic deaths in 2003 was the second highest number recorded since 2000. The amount of cocaine and heroin seized by law enforcement agencies in the county continued to decline; however, marijuana seizures increased nearly 50 percent from 2002 to 2003. There was a slight increase in methamphetamine lab investigations. Drug-related deaths for individuals ages 0-3 and 40-59 increased dramatically over the last few years. Lung cancer deaths as a measure of tobacco use have increased since 2000. The most alarming finding is that marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco use by county eighth graders is relatively high by State and national norms, suggesting that drug use and experimentation in the county is beginning at increasingly younger ages. Extensive figures