Posted on 09/07/2006 9:03:19 AM PDT by Incorrigible
By KEVIN FREKING,
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Some moms and dads might want to take a lesson from their kids: Just say no. The government reported Thursday that 4.4 percent of baby boomers ages 50 to 59 indicated that they had used illicit drugs in the past month. It marks the third consecutive yearly increase recorded for that age group by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Meanwhile, illicit drug use among young teens went down for the third consecutive year — from 11.6 percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 2005.
"Rarely have we seen a story like this where this is such an obvious contrast as one generation goes off stage right, and entering stage left is a generation that learned a lesson somehow and they're doing something very different," said David Murray, special assistant to the director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The annual survey on drug use and health involves interviews of about 67,500 people. It provides an important snapshot of how many Americans drink, smoke and use drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Overall, drug use remained relatively unchanged among Americans age 12 and older in 2005. About 19.7 million Americans reported they had used an illicit drug in the past month, which represented a rise from 7.9 percent to 8.1 percent. The increase was not only due to the boomers, but an increase was also seen among those 18-25, the age category that always ranks highest when it comes to illicit drug use.
Among the 18-25 group, drug use rose from 19.4 percent to 20.1 percent. Federal officials commenting on the report emphasized the drop in use among younger teens without citing the increase in the next older age group.
"The news today is there is a fundamental shift in drug use among young people in America," Assistant Surgeon General Eric B. Broderick said in a statement.
Murray called the 18-25 group the gauntlet through which everybody runs. He said the peak of drug use among youth in the United States occurred in the late 1970s.
"And they brought it with them like baggage when they hit 50 and 60," Murray said.
Drug use by baby boomers increased from 2.7 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent last year. Marijuana was by far their drug of choice, Murray said.
That's true overall. There were 14.6 million people who reported using marijuana in the past month, about 2.4 million cocaine users and 6.4 million people who used prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes, such as pain relievers, tranquilizers or sedatives. In 60 percent of those cases, the drugs came from a relative or friend for free. Only 4.3 percent reported buying the drug from a drug dealer or other stranger.
While drug use went up slightly in '05, so did alcohol use. Slightly more than half of Americans age 12 and older reported being current drinkers of alcohol. That translates to 126 million people, up from 121 million people the year before.
Officials noted that alcohol use among those 12-17 did decline from 17.6 percent to 16.5 percent.
The percentage of Americans who acknowledged driving drunk at least once in the past year also dropped slightly in 2005 — from 13.5 percent to 13 percent.
Meanwhile, tobacco use held steady at about 29.4 percent, even though among youths 12-17, tobacco use did drop from 14.4 percent to 13.1 percent.
____
On the Net:
Office of National Drug Control Policy: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
You have mistaken me for someone who believes you. I don't believe for one second that you're a college graduate let alone working on your master's. You wouldn't pass English 101.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Those are NOT Gen X'ers. Those are Y's. Nice try though. A for effort.
Thanks for that tip. I will seek out and read about Venona.
Anybody who can read and comprehend the English language can clearly see it was you who first brought up calling the mods.
Can't handle the heat?
I'm not afraid for the mods to look at my posts.
And the day I can't handle the "heat" you blow off is the day I am dead and buried.
Ahem, you know, of course, that the members of that band, Generation X (most famous of which is a certain Mr. Idol) were all born in the 1950s. You knew that, right?
Sounds good but it's totally untrue.
EACH generation has it's winners and it's losers.
The WWII Gen had it's share of losers.
Boomers have their share.
...and Gen X will have theirs.
Taking one single generation and painting it as the 'Perfect Generation' is...well....stupid.
redrock
I missed the meeting where all us boomers got together and decided to be slackers. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?? I got years of slacking up to catch up on!
Don't fall for it, that band included Billy Idol. He's what, about 55?
You don't think you should defend your racist statements? Because you believe them, apparently.
I'm so glad to see that few freepers agree with your race baiting or your class envy. Pleases me immensely.
Oh, and while I've been gone - I went for a walk with my husband and then we sat on the veranda. Just thought you'd want to keep up with my activities since you seem to know my posting history and who my friends are. I'd be honored you pay that much attention, but given what kind of person you are...well, you can fill in the blanks.
you're right, I agree with what you say
They all offer good and bad
I am still waiting for the Boomer generations Ronald Reagan
And you have mistaken me for someone who cares what you think or believe. Try not to spend all night on FR...get out, enjoy life, might give you a better view of life....:)
If this is what colleges are producing these days, be afraid, be very afraid. LOL
Oh, and have a great day!
I think the notable thing about the Boomers is that that generation's malcontents were never really punished. That's quite unusual, historically speaking.
You were out working!
ROFL. If we'd only known that instead of working and investing and making gobs of money we should have been slacking off. Dang it.
I know, I'm so embarrassed. (Do I dare mention I worked two jobs and went to school?? I was young - I needed the money!)
I agree; if you're trying to GET one, you ought to at least be able to SPELL it correctly, huh?
It is Master's, not Masters.
The view from my mansion is perfect. Of course, I did not contribute to my physician husband's income. I'm just a slacker who raised 4 wonderful and accomplished children. I married well!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Gosh, all this time we thought we were doing the responsible thing and what we were supposed to be doing was fulfilling some cretins class envious view of boomers.
Thank you, Peach!
I see you're having a ANOTHER GREAT DAY
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