NCJ Number
166194
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Partnership Attitudinal Tracking Study showed that children in grades 4 through 6 were less likely to consider drugs harmful and risky, more likely to believe drug use was widespread and acceptable, had friends who used illicit drugs, and lacked information about the dangers of drugs.
Abstract
One in four children were offered drugs during the previous year. The trial use of marijuana increased from approximately 2 percent of children in 1995 to 4 percent of children in 1996, while the trial use of cocaine and crack increased from 2 percent to 3 percent over the same period. Children were less likely to believe using drugs was dangerous and were less likely to say they did not want to hang around people who used drugs. The number of children who said they had friends who sometimes used marijuana increased from 7 percent in 1993 to 13 percent in 1996. White children showed more tolerance of drugs than black children. Children reported a decrease in the amount of antidrug information they received from schools, television shows, movies, televised public service messages, and friends. Nearly half of parents believed friends of their children used marijuana, 31 percent believed their children had been offered drugs, 34 percent said marijuana was readily available to their children, and 15 percent reported their children had tried marijuana. Nearly all parents indicated they talked to their children about drugs. Black parents were less likely in 1996 than they were in 1995 to condone the private use of marijuana.