Student Drug Use 2007 Survey Findings

Fewer junior high and high school students are using tobacco and cannabis and more students are drug-free, according to the 2007 Student Drug Use Survey.

The Nova Scotia 2007 Student Drug Use Survey released today, Nov. 20, shows that 16 per cent of students are smoking cigarettes, which is down from 24 per cent in 2002, and the number of students who are drug free has increased to 42 per cent.

"Overall this is a good report but we understand that there is still work to be done," said Health Promotion and Protection Minister Barry Barnet. "We will use the results of this survey to help shape our future addiction prevention and treatment services. We are committed to ensuring our students have the best information and supports available to make healthy choices."

The survey was conducted in partnership with the Department of Health Promotion and Protection, Department of Education and Dalhousie University community health and epidemiology. The results were based on 4,486 completed surveys of students in grades 7, 9, 10, and 12.

"Schools are not immune from what is taking place in the broader community," said Education Minister Karen Casey. "The public school system, just like rest of society, has a responsibility to educate students about alcohol and other drug use. We take that responsibility very seriously."

Some key finding of the Nova Scotia survey included:

• alcohol, cannabis and tobacco were the drugs most commonly used by students;
• continued increase in the number of students who are drug free, 42 per cent in 2007 up from 40 per cent in 2002 and 35 per cent in 1998;
• 52 per cent of students reported using alcohol, and of that number 28 per cent report having more than five drinks at one sitting, which is defined as high risk drinking;
• less than 5 per cent of students used inhalants, non-medical tranquilizers, cocaine or crack cocaine, and anabolic steroids;
• less than 1 per cent of students indicated they had injected substances for non-medical purposes;
• an increase in ecstacy use from 4.5 per cent in 2002 to 7 per cent in 2007;
• the first measurement of crystal meth use at 1.6 per cent.

The decrease in tobacco use is being attributed, in part, to the provinces Tobacco Control Strategy. The strategy's components include social marketing, legislation, policy development, taxation and smoking cessation programs.

The province also invests $23 million annually in addictions services across the province. Part of that investment includes the program Choices which operates from the IWK Children's Hospital and provides drug treatment for youth ages 13 to 19.

Drug education is also a key component of the provincial health education curriculum in grades Primary to 9. Last year, the departments of Education and Health Promotion and Protection introduced A Question of Influence. This is an educational resource in junior high to better help students understand the risks associated with substance use and to develop practical skills to address those risks.

The resource, tailored to meet the needs of each grade level, was built on the best practices from drug-education curriculum from around the world, focusing primarily on helping students understand, and deal with, the factors that influence substance-use decisions.

The province is also addressing the harmful use of alcohol by those under the age of 19 in the Nova Scotia Alcohol Strategy, released in August.

"There is no single solution to youth alcohol and other drug use," said Mr. Barnet. "However, we are committed to working across governments and with our partners to find new and innovative ways to support early intervention programs and continue to make treatment options accessible to all Nova Scotians."

The 2007 Student Drug Use Survey is the fourth time that all the Atlantic provinces collected and analyzed standardized data on the prevalence of drug use among students.

The full report as well as the Nova Scotia Highlights report is available on the Health Promotion and Protection website at www.gov.ns.ca/hpp .