Grassley Urges Response to New Report on Drug Use by Young Americans


Iowa Senator Calls on Government Officials, Community Leaders and Parents to Act


Jill Kozeny

202/224-1308


Sen. Chuck Grassley today called for intensified efforts on the part of government officials, community leaders and parents to fight drug use by young people, citing a new survey that shows the number of new users of cocaine and heroin between the ages of 12 and 17 is at the highest level in 30 years.

"If this trend continues, and it shows no signs of relenting, we face a major new drug epidemic in this country and it is aimed directly at our kids. Information in this report about a significant increase in drug use by 12 and 13 year-olds is especially disturbing," Grassley said. "As parents and grandparents we need respond to this alarm and do what it takes to get through to our children and grandchildren and send a clear message about the dangers and devastation of drugs."

The government report released today is the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Grassley said the data reveals that marijuana use among young people continues to grow, more than doubling since 1992. He said there also has been an increase in the use of heroin and hallucinogens, along with increased use by teenagers of alcohol and tobacco.

"Immediately following America's last drug epidemic in the 1970s and 80s, we had started making progress in getting our kids not to use illicit drugs. However, the numbers show that since 1992, the federal government's policies have failed to keep the trend moving in that direction. And that's devastating news. The numbers also show the toll of the deafening silence from the White House about the dangers of drugs during the first term of the Clinton presidency. We can't allow this to happen again because the result of dramatic increases in drug experimentation will be more addicts, hospital admissions, deaths, and family crises," Grassley said.

The latest Household Survey found the following:

  • Between 1996 and 1997, current illicit drug use increased significantly for 12 to 13 year- olds. "Current" means a person has used in the past month.
  • Marijuana use among 12 to 17 year-olds more than doubled between 1992 and 1997.
  • Nearly one in ten individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 were current users of marijuana.
  • Marijuana use among 12 to 17 year-olds increased from 7.1 percent in 1996 to 9.2 percent in 1997.
  • 11.4 percent of young people between 12 and 17 years-old reported using an illicit drug in the 30 days before the survey interview.

Next week, Grassley is scheduled to unveil the first-of-its-kind statewide community anti- drug coalition to help local communities organize and coordinate efforts to fight drug use. Last year, Grassley won passage of a bill he introduced to target federal resources at local community coalitions with proven success in combating drug use. Grassley is chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.