There is significant national concern over the use and consequences of drugs in our society. Cocaine, hallucinogens, and amphetamines were used by small percentages of students but the actual number of students involved, if extrapolated to the four-year college population, is not negligible. In terms of annual prevalence, more than twice as many students drank as used tobacco, but daily use of tobacco was 16 times higher than daily use of alcohol. Table 4.6 summarizes the annual prevalence of the six most frequently used drugs, in order of use. Consequences Table 4.7 lists the self-reported consequences of alcohol and other drug use during the last year.
Several findings are relevant to the academic environment.
A substantial contrast exists between the 33.0 percent of students who had driven under the influence and the 1.2 percent who had been arrested for drunk driving. In the earlier version, a single question was asked in each of these topical areas. In the later version, these items were divided into two questions each. Alcohol Use and Academic Performance Table 4.8 describes the relationship between the average number of drinks consumed per week and grade average. As can be seen, the heaviest drinkers obtained the lowest grades.