More Canadian teens are abstaining from addictive substances like tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs, according to Health Canada’s Youth Smoking Survey.
The survey found a general decline in the number of youth from grades six to 12 trying or using the substances on a regular basis, but some local students find that hard to believe.
“A decrease? Really?” asked Grade 11 Paul Kane High School student Teddy Perkins.
The report found three in four students, or 74 per cent, said they had never tried smoking, up from 67 per cent in the last survey, which was conducted in 2008-09.
Despite the downward trend in smoking, a number of Canadian youth are still lighting up regularly.
Three per cent of students in grades six to 12 reported being daily smokers. This is a decrease over the previous survey, which found four per cent of students that age were daily smokers.
“I don’t really think it’s a problem as long as we keep it to ourselves,” Perkins said, adding it is unfair to smoke in high-traffic areas, which affects non-smokers.
Perkins said underage teens usually get tobacco products from older friends and said although it is illegal, it “isn’t a big deal.”
Austin Sayer, a Grade 11 student, said the fact that these activities are illegal could be the reason many kids pick up the habit.
Alcohol remains the most prevalent substance used by students in grades seven to 12, the report said, with one in three students reporting binge drinking in the 12 months leading up to the survey.
Within the year, 45 per cent of students polled said they’d consumed alcohol – down from 53 per cent in 2008-09.
Emily Cowan, a Grade 10 student at Paul Kane, said kids in St. Albert mainly consume alcohol out of boredom, adding it’s the most common substance used by her peers.
Tierdon Goerz, a Grade 11 student at Paul Kane, agreed, adding that drinking is often simply a way to pass the time.
“A lot of parents tend to give their kids a lot of stuff,” he said. “What are they going to do with their money? They buy alcohol (and) buy drugs because they don’t know what to do with their time.”
For the first time ever, the survey questioned youth on the consumption of alcoholic beverages mixed with energy drinks. Roughly one in five students reported consuming such a drink within the year.
Drug use is also declining, with an eight percentage-point decrease in teens using marijuana. The survey found roughly one in five students had smoked marijuana. The survey also reported significant decreases in usage of MDMA, hallucinogens, salvia and prescription drugs.
Cowan said marijuana is becoming mainstream, with more youth using it regularly. Goerz agreed, adding marijuana is accepted amongst youth and he doesn’t think it is a problem.
Local school counsellors declined to comment on youth substance use in the community.
Nearly 51,000 students across the country were questioned for the school-based survey to represent roughly three million youth Canada-wide. New Brunswick declined to participate in the survey.
The Youth Smoking Survey is conducted every two years, with the next survey slated for 2012-13.
