Gov. Christine Gregoire announces significant reductions in teen smoking and drug use in Washington; urges prevention efforts to continue

For Immediate Release: March 30, 2005

Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced that marijuana and cigarette use among Washington teens is dropping, according the preliminary results of the 2004 Healthy Youth Survey, a statewide survey of teen behaviors and attitudes. There was also a decline in the number of students who report ever having an alcoholic drink in their lifetime.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson, Secretary of the Department of Health Mary Selecky and new Secretary of Social and Health Services Robin Arnold-Williams joined Gregoire in making the announcement.

�Overall, the results are promising, but the survey certainly shows that we must continue to invest in proven prevention strategies,� Gregoire said. �With every new generation, we must continue to work hard to keep tobacco, alcohol and other drugs out of the hands of our youth.�

The Healthy Youth Survey is a collaborative effort by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED).

Given every two years to students in grades six, eight, 10 and 12, the survey covers a variety of issues and provides the most comprehensive look at teen health attitudes and behaviors gathered in this state. Today�s results are from a survey of more than 185,000 kids in Washington last fall, including approximately 30,000 in the state sample.

The survey shows that youth smoking has dropped by nearly half since 1999. That means there are about 65,000 fewer young smokers statewide and about 13,000 youth will be spared an early death.

The DOH launched a comprehensive tobacco prevention and control program in 2000. Since that time, smoking has declined for all grades:

• Sixth-grade smoking is down 57 percent;


• Eighth-grade smoking is down 49 percent;


• Tenth-graders� smoking has declined 48 percent; and


• Twelfth-graders� smoking is down by 44 percent.

�A few years ago in our state, 65 kids a day were starting to smoke. Now that number is down to 45. It is still too many, but we are making great progress,� said Selecky. �These new numbers show that kids are getting the message and our work together with communities and schools is paying off by saving lives.�

The responses by students in high school indicate prevention efforts are taking hold in the state. Fewer eighth-, 10th- and 12th-grade students reported having smoked marijuana during the 30 days prior to taking the survey than did so in 2002. The �lifetime� use numbers of students that had ever tried marijuana also dropped significantly for 12th graders. And, this year�s survey responses indicate a large decrease from 2002 in the percent of 12th graders who have friends who use drugs.

�It�s very good news that in all grades, marijuana use has come down � and especially so among 12th graders,� noted Arnold-Williams.

�This is happening because Washington state and DSHS have invested in prevention strategies that are proven to work with kids � strategies that discourage experimentation with alcohol and other drugs. These include providing responsible adult mentors and role models, teaching kids to resist pressure to try drugs and working with families so parents know how to communicate with kids about making healthy choices.�

There are many issues that affect the overall emotional, physical and social health of young people, including the school environment.

Students were asked to respond to several questions about school safety and bullying. A very high percentage of students at each grade level said they feel safe at school. The survey added a new question in 2002 about bullying behaviors within the past 30 days of taking the survey. While bullying appears to decline as students get older, the rates reported in 2004 are about the same as 2002.

This lack of change in the rates concerns Bergeson. �The information shared today shows how much of a positive impact tobacco- and drug-prevention efforts have made with our youth, but similar work in our schools around bullying and harassment goes largely unfunded right now,� said Bergeson. �School safety is a top priority, and I hope our state makes a strong statement by investing in our efforts to help students feel welcomed and safe when they walk into our schools.�

The results announced today are the first round of data from the 2004 Healthy Youth Survey. Public and private agencies, in collaboration with participating schools and districts, will use the survey results in their efforts to improve the health and safety of children across the state.

A comprehensive analysis of the survey results and state-level data will be available through OSPI in June. To read more about tobacco use information: http://www.unfilteredtv.com/press_room/

For more about drug and alcohol use: http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/geninfo/healthyouth.html

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