NCJ Number
142016
Date Published
Unknown
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This study found that over half of students in grades 8, 10, and 11 in the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa, Israel, school system believe a drug problem exists in their schools and that about 24 percent of adults feel there is a serious drug problem in their neighborhoods.
Abstract
The study involved a sample of 7,600 students in grades 8, 10, and 11 and a representative sample of 1,300 households who were interviewed personally in their homes. The level of knowledge regarding drug abuse and personal acquaintance with drug users increased with age. Many adults, especially in the 18-25 and 36-40 age groups, said they had personal knowledge of drug users where they lived. About 5 percent of students and nearly 7 percent of adults used sleeping pills or tranquilizers in the past month. More than 2 percent of students and more than 4 percent of adults used hashish or marijuana recently. About 3.2 percent of students used at least one hard drug during in the past month; the figure was 0.8 percent for adults. In general, most respondents felt that drug use is associated with harmful effects and serious risks. When asked where drugs could be obtained, 22 percent of students and 29 percent of adults said that drugs are available in their neighborhoods. It appeared that drugs were more often found in the Arab sector and that Arab students knew more drug users than did Jewish students. Individuals who used drugs were more aware of the dangers than nonusers. The study demonstrated a strong correlation between drug abuse among youth and parents whose control over their children's smoking, alcohol consumption, and contacts with drug users and drug abuse was lax or lacking. 55 tables