NCJ Number
227778
Journal
American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: 1988 Pages: 21-32
Date Published
1988
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Based on responses to a 1984 survey on a large Indian reservation, conservative estimates are made of the amount spent on drugs and alcohol by Indian youths (grades 7 through 12) across the country.
Abstract
The total cost of drugs and alcohol used by Indian youths for 1 year is $8.3 million. This is an estimate only of out-of-pocket expenditures, so it does not include costs associated with substance abuse, such as medical care, loss in productivity, accidents, or emotional and social consequences. On the reservation where this survey was conducted, 82 percent of all of the 7th through 12th graders have used alcohol at least once in their lives. A large number of students reported using alcohol regularly. Out of the 1,090 students surveyed, 28 percent reported they had been drunk at least once in the last month. The total costs per month for those who got drunk on all three types of alcoholic beverages included in the survey (beer, wine, and hard liquor) was estimated to be $1,536, which amounted to $18,420 per year spent by 7th through 12th graders to get drunk on this "typical" reservation. Marijuana expenditures were about double those found for alcohol, and they were a little over half the amount spent for all drugs combined. On the reservation where this survey was conducted, approximately 10 percent of 7th through 12th graders had used cocaine at least once. Although costs may limit cocaine usage among Indian youth, the researchers have not found any reservation where cocaine is not available, and a surprisingly high level of use is evident (Beauvais, Oetting, and Edwards, 1985). A self-reported questionnaire was used in this study. Reliability studies of the questionnaire indicate that the rates of drug use are likely to be accurate for this specific reservation. 4 tables and 15 references