We have to remain focused on the goal of keeping our kids drug free from the ages of ten to twenty, and halting dangerous gateway behavior. White high-school students are way more likely to smoke cigarettes than black students. Although smoking prevalence among African American students continues to be lower than for white and Hispanic students, the rate of increase was substantially higher among African African students than for white and Hispanic students. Inhalants, LSD, meth, alcohol and cigarettes are way more popular with white students than any other race. LSD - Past month use of LSD decreased among 8th graders, from 1.5 percent in 1997 to 1.1 percent in 1998.
Hispanic students are more likely to try cocaine, crack, and heroin than any other ethnic group.
The apparent shift in attitudes and leveling off of drug use among eighth graders provides additional evidence that anti-drug prevention activities may be taking hold with young people. When the Monitoring the Future survey showed a sharp increase in drug use among young people in the early 1990s, HHS and other federal, state and local agencies took steps to combat pro-drug perceptions and improve substance abuse prevention programs. Although it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase, possess, and consume alcohol, many teenagers do drink. As a result, in addition to breaking the law, these teens are particularly vulnerable to the various problems that alcohol can cause. Nicotine is both a transient stimulant and a sedative to the central nervous system.