DRUGS . . . GETTING HIGH IN JUNIOR HIGH

One in four teens have used illegal drugs -- especially marijuana -- before entering high school, and the rate of drug use among American youth is "getting worse at a fairly rapid pace," according to a government report released today. The 52,000-student survey, performed for the Department of Health and Human Services by the University of Michigan, found the drug-using trend was accelerating fastest among pre-teens: 25 percent of eighth graders queried, for example, acknowledged using illicit drugs at some point in their lives (35 percent counting inhalants). The most striking finding: Admissions of marijuana use within the past year doubled since 1991 for eighth graders (to 13 percent); 10th graders' jumped from 16 to 25 percent and high school seniors' rose from 24 to 31 percent. Worse, the report says, greater marijuana use likely increases the pool of young people willing to consider other drugs.Post your opinion on theCrimebulletin board.