What a difference a year can make: Early alcohol and marijuana use among 16 to 18 year old BC students

1. What a difference a year can make:Early alcohol and marijuana use among 16 to 18 year old BC students McCreary Centre Society www.mcs.bc.ca

2. Adolescent Health Survey • Overall alcohol and marijuana use steadily declined from 1998 among Grade 7 to 12’s • Youth who did try alcohol waited longer to do so than their peers in 2003 • The most common age for trying alcohol was • Alcohol and marijuana use was linked other negative behaviours

3. What a difference a year can make • Over 10 000 surveys were collected from 16-18 year old students between February and June 2008 • 50 of the 59 school districts participated in 2008 • Additional reports on substance use from the AHS 2008 data: • Adolescent substance use and related harms • Drug use among 16-18 year old BC students

4. Alcohol & marijuana use

5. Alcohol use

6. Marijuana use

7. Alcohol & marijuana use

8. Early use & recent use

9. Early use & recent use

10. Early use & high risk

11. Views of marijauna • Marijuana is good for you.” 17 year old male • “Pot should be legal.” 15 year old female • Studies show that people drive more carefully when high on weed. You are ignorant if you think anything otherwise.” 15 year old male • “A doobie a day keeps the doctor away” 18 year old male

12. Medicinal use of marijuana

13. Early use & other substance use

14. Youth at higher risk for early alcohol & marijuana use

15. Youth at higher risk for early alcohol & marijuana use

16. Health risks & early use

17. Health risks & early use

18. Direct consequences of substance use

19. Early use of both alcohol & marijuana

20. Earliest use

21. Earlier users who had not used recently • “Talking about drugs I’ve tried them but I don’t use them anymore…” 18 year old female • “While I did not use drugs in the past 12 months, I was using them frequently and heavily to the point of needing help about 15 months ago…” 17 year old, female

22. Earlier users who had not used recently

23. Youth who never used alcohol or marijuana • “I don’t use drugs, smoke, drink or have a weapon” 12 year old male • “Not all teens do drugs, lots of us think it’s the stupidest thing in the world. I’m one of them, I don’t do drugs, I am too scared from what they have done to people I know and love.” 14 year old female

24. Youth who never used alcohol or marijuana

25. Youth who never used alcohol or marijuana

26. Protective factors associated with delayed substance use

27. Protective factors associated with delayed substance use

28. Key Findings www.mcs.bc.ca

29. Experimentation • “. I only drink with my parents permission, usually in their company or in the company of another adult I trust AND only at family dinners or special occasions..” 16 year old, female • “. My parents let me try alcohol to let me experience it so I can respect it. they will only let me drink when I am at home with them and don’t have friends over.” 15 year old male

30. Key Findings • The use of alcohol and marijuana among BC youth declined substantially over the past decade. • Youth who had tried alcohol or marijuana waited longer to do so than in 1998. • Male and female students were equally likely to have tried alcohol or marijuana, but males were more likely to have tried these substances before they were 13 years old.

31. Key findings • The older youth were when they started using alcohol or marijuana, the less likely they were to be current users or to engage in risky use. • Youth who first used alcohol or marijuana at age 12 or younger were more likely to engage in a range of other health risk behaviours. • Risk factors for early use of alcohol or marijuana included a history of physical or sexual abuse, a limiting physical or mental health condition or disability and a family history of suicide attempts.

32. Key findings • Youth with higher levels of protective factors were more likely to wait until they were 15 years old to try alcohol and marijuana. • BC youth may be using marijuana to manage physical symptoms. • Youth who had never tried alcohol or marjuana were less likely than those who had tried them to report risk behaviours.

33. Key findings • Delaying the use of alcohol and marijuana by even a couple of years improved health outcomes for youth. • Although earlier users of alcohol and marijuana were more likely to ask a variety of professionals for help, they were less likely to find these professionals helpful. • Even among early users, avoiding use of alcohol or marijuana recently had benefits.

34. Summary • Target children at greater risk for early use • Don’t give up on older youth • Currently missing opportunities • One approach does not fit all • Building protective factors

35. Additional resources A Picture of Health

36. Also available • Provincial and regional reports and power points of the full AHS results • Additional in-depth topic reports • Fact sheets on key topics • ‘Next Steps’ workshops for youth and other youth resources

37. For more information McCreary Centre Society 3552 East Hastings Street Vancouver V5K 2A7 mccreary@mcs.bc.ca 604 291 1996