The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan released the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey on Monday. This survey, which has been distributed annually since 1975 to about 50,000 eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders across the nation, in 2009 showed that while there were slight decreases in the use of cocaine and methamphetamine among youth across the country, marijuana and prescription drug abuse showed no signs of slowing down.

Overall, drug use remained steady, but several drugs showed signs of increasing with attitudes softening for drugs such as marijuana, Ecstasy, inhalants and LSD. For example, the percentage of eighth-graders who view occasional marijuana use as potentially harmful dropped to 44 percent, compared to 48 percent last year.

In addition, the perception of “great risk” associated with marijuana use declined among eighth- and 10th-graders.

“So far, we have not seen any dramatic rise in marijuana use, but the upward trending of the past two or three years stands in stark contrast to the steady decline that preceded it for nearly a decade,” said University of Michigan researcher Lloyd Johnston, the lead investigator on the Monitoring the Future survey.

The survey also showed no declines in the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. In fact, past year non-medical use of Vicodin and OxyContin increased during the last five years among 10th-graders and remained unchanged among eighth- and 12th-graders. Nearly one in 10 high school seniors reported using Vidodin non-medically; one in 20 reported abusing OxyContin.

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, cautioned that while there were no big jumps in drug use, that shouldn’t be cause for celebration.

“We are containing drug use, but is containment really what we’re after? I would say certainly not,” he told the audience during a press conference in Washington, D.C. “If we’re not making progress, we’re probably losing ground.”

Another drug showing no signs of letting up was over-the-counter cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan, with annual prevalence rates remaining unchanged since 2006, when use of these drugs was first measured.

Researchers are also concerned about the abuse of prescription stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While the annual prevalence rate of Ritalin abuse fell from 5 to 2 percent among 12th-graders, more than 5 percent of 10th-and 12th-graders reported abusing Adderall, which is also used to treat ADHD and was included in the survey for the first time.

Other areas of concern from the survey were:

From 2008 to 2009, lifetime, past month and daily use of smokeless tobacco increased among 10th-graders.

The decline in alcohol use, including binge drinking, has leveled off among 10th- and 12th-graders, with only eighth-graders showing a continued decline.

Fewer 10th-graders viewed weekend binge drinking as harmful, and fewer high school seniors disapproved of having one or two drinks every day. On the other hand, researchers noted that the perceived availability of alcohol among eighth-graders decreased.

“It would appear that state and local efforts to crack down on sales to underage buyers, perhaps along with greater parental vigilance, have had an effect,” Johnston noted.

The perceived risk associated with using inhalants, ecstasy and LSD continued to decline.

Our nation and a generation of young people cannot afford to lose ground on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Beliefs and attitudes are going in the wrong direction. Let’s not ignore these warning signs. Coalitions like ours, Freeborn County Partners In Prevention, play a critical role in addressing the local conditions and directing energy toward changing attitudes and availability.

We are collecting data on our own local drug problems and are poised to address them, whether it is underage drinking, prescription drugs, inhalants, or marijuana. But we need to increase our investment in prevention to get out in front of these problems. More young people need to get the message that these drugs are harmful if we are to reverse these trends.

Our coalition can help address our local substance abuse problems through evidence-based prevention efforts, but we can’t do it alone. We need help from everyone in the community.

To view the full survey visit www.monitoringthefuture.org.

Alice Englin is the coalition director for Freeborn County Partners In Prevention, working to reduce substance use and abuse among youth in Freeborn County.