New Inhalant Data From Arizona

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission recently released Initial 2012 numbers for Navajo County youth substance abuse.

The survey is a "bi-annual opt-in survey that was taken in May 2012 by 1,363 county students, 57% in eighth grade, 23% in 10th grade, 20% in 12th grade."

For more information on the project visit their website and for full reports on all surveyed counties visit this website.

A few inhalant related notes from the study follow below:

• Navajo County is behind Arizona use in most areas except cigarette use (4.9 percent higher than state), chewing tobacco (double the state rate), inhalants (0.3 percent higher), steroids (0.2 percent higher and over the counter drugs (0.5 percent).
• Eighth grade: "Inhalant use was up by 2.6% at 12.4%, still lower than previous surveys between 2004 and 2006."
• Tenth grade: 4.3% decline in inhalant use
• Twelfth grade: "Cocaine and inhalants were down more than 3% each."
  
  

Use of Inhalants Increases Among 4th,7th and 9th Graders

Courtesy of the Tennessean
Franklin, TN

Students in grades 4, 7, 9, and 11 took part in an annual substance abuse survey. The survey results were considered to be generally positive due to the overall decrease in cigarette smoking and consumption of alcohol.

However, the survey also showed a "slight increase in the use of inhalants" among students in grades 4, 7, 9, as well as an increase in cocaine usage among 7th and 9th graders.

In response to the results of the survey, Mike Looney, the district's Superintendent said, “Just because we’ve seen a substantial improvement doesn’t mean we need to stop caring about this.”

Inhalant Data from 2010 Arizona Youth Survey

Via AZJournal.com in Arizona:

The results of the 2010 Arizona Youth Survey (conducted by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission) were recently released. Inhalant specific information in the report includes:

• 10.9% of Navajo County students surveyed reported that they had used inhalants to get high at least once.
• The percentage of students reporting use of inhalants has dropped over the last four years.
  
• In 2008, 11.5% of all students reported using inhalants at least once (in 2006, the total was 13.5% )
• The statewide average for 2010 is 12.3% while the nationwide average is 12.5%.
  
• Lifetime use =10.8% of eighth grade students, 10.5% of 10th grade students & 11.6% of high school seniors.
• statewide average of 14.5% for eighth grade, 11.8% for 10th 9.4 % for 12th.
• nationwide average is 14.9% for eighth, 12.8 for 10th and 9.5 for 12th.
• A total of 2.7% of Navajo County students reported having used inhalants within 30 days of the survey. (3% of eighth graders, 2.8% of 10th graders & 2.7% of high school seniors.