Palm Trees

More Young Teens in Santa Cruz Drinking and Smoking Marijuana

According to the annual California Healthy Kids Survey released this week, an increasing number of young teens in Santa Cruz County, California, are drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana.

The survey found that 27 percent of ninth-grade students have been in a car with someone who has been drinking, or driven under the influence themselves, up from 22 percent in 2005. The percentage of 11th graders driving under the influence or with someone who had been drinking has remained 31 percent since 2005.

The number of teens reporting that they had been very drunk or had gotten sick from drinking alcohol rose to 36 percent of high school freshmen surveyed in February, compared to 29 percent surveyed in 2005. In 2009, 16 percent of seventh-grade students reported binge drinking, compared to 10 percent in 2005.

Young people also reported that it's easy to obtain alcohol, even though it is illegal for an adult to furnish booze to a minor.

As for marijuana, more young people are reporting they don't believe smoking pot is harmful, and half of high school juniors said they have used marijuana at some time. Cigarette smoking is also up among high school teens by more than 3 percent since 2007.

While these statistics are discouraging, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education was recently awarded a $1.3 million federal grant to reduce alcohol abuse among high school students. The county Office of Education's Reduce Alcohol Abuse Program focuses on prevention, early intervention, and referrals for treatment.

In addition, the United Way of Santa Cruz County's Project CURB was launched in 2005 to spread awareness about binge drinking in the county. The cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville also have ordinances that hold parents and other adults liable for fines and damages if they furnish minors with alcohol at gatherings.

In the survey, only 6 percent of ninth graders and 9 percent of 11th graders reported that they had spoken with someone about their drinking or smoking pot. Only 3 percent in both grade levels said they had received counseling about booze or marijuana.

Community programs are only part of the answer—parents must get involved. Hopefully, the Healthy Kids survey is a healthy reminder of the urgency of intervention.