Youth alcohol use is down, but still higher than other states

A survey by the Iowa Department of Public Health shows Iowa 11th graders are smoking more tobacco and marijuana, but use of alcohol and inhalants has dropped. Janet Zwick is the director of the Department’s Substance Abuse Division. She says a closer look at the numbers for sixth, eighth and 11th graders shows reason for concern. Even though the use of alcohol dropped, it’s still much higher than the nationwide numbers. Zwick says about 19-percent of the kids nationwide used alcohol, while in Iowa it was 27-percent. Zwick says this shows the need to continue educating kids. Zwick says the survey showed continued substance abuse problems among Iowa adults.Alcohol remains the biggest problem for abuse among adults. Use of stimulants and sedatives declined, but still remain above national rates. Overall, tobacco and alcohol use remained steady compared to the last survey in 1993.