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REMARKS BY:		DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
PLACE:			Monitoring the Future Survey, Washington, D.C.
DATE:			December 19, 1996

Today we are releasing NIDA's 22nd annual Monitoring the Future Survey. The survey shows that substance abuse among young teens continues to rise in 1996 -- especially tobacco and marijuana -- and that alcohol use also remains unacceptably high.

The survey tells us that drug use among young people is at unacceptable levels; that the core of the problem is marijuana; and that we must fight aggressively to change these trends.

Past month marijuana use among 8th and 10th graders went from 9 percent to 11 percent, and from 17 percent to 20 percent, respectively. This is an increase of over 250 percent since 1991 for 8th graders, and over 150 percent for 10th graders since 1992. In contrast, for 12th graders, there was no statistically significant increase in annual, current or daily marijuana use this year -- although rates remain dangerously high.

The percentage of young people who smoked cigarettes in the past month continued to rise among 8th and 10th graders -- from 19 percent to 21 percent, and from 28 percent to 30 percent, respectively, while the 33 percent of 12th graders smoking cigarettes in the past month was statistically unchanged from the previous survey.

The results on alcohol use are two-fold.

The percentage of 8th graders reporting daily use of alcohol rose from 0.7 percent to 1.0 percent, and those reporting having "been drunk" in the past month rose from 8 percent to almost 10 percent. On the other hand, alcohol use among 10th and 12th graders remained level but at high rates.

The message of today's Monitoring of the Future Survey is unmistakable. To parents it says: Sit down -- and talk straight -- to your children about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. To young people it says: Drugs are illegal, dangerous and wrong. And to all of us it says: Work together to save our children.

Saving our children is why later today, as part of National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month I'll be participating in a national forum with law enforcement, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups concerned about the devastating toll that drunk and drugged driving has on all Americans, especially children.

Saving our children is why the President launched his historic tobacco initiative. And I'm proud that on February 28, the first part of this initiative goes into effect. It will be illegal to sell to anyone under 18 and retailers must check ID. And by next year, tough new restrictions on vending machines and advertizing will be the law of the land.

And saving our children is why we're focusing more than ever on marijuana. The survey shows that our marijuana problem is fueled by teens who believe that marijuana is not harmful, and by parents who sometimes, because of their own past marijuana use, find it hard to give their children a clear message about the terrible dangers posed by marijuana.

But the dangers are real -- and the research proves it.

Marijuana harms the brain, heart, lungs and immune system. Marijuana limits learning, memory, perception, judgement and the ability to drive a car. And marijuana smoke typically contains over 400 carcinogenic compounds -- and may be addictive.

Now we're putting that research into the hands of parents.

"Reality Check" is our anti-marijuana campaign of free materials to help parents talk to their children about drugs.

And we have an aggressive communications strategy for reaching children with a message of prevention and opportunity. We've partnered with Weekly Reader on a supplement distributed to over 200,000 teachers -- with the potential to reach 15 million students -- that teaches children how to look critically at media messages. We've partnered with Scholastic Magazine on a poster and insert that has reached 2.3 million students and families urging kids not to harm themselves with drugs.

And just last month we launched Girl Power! -- where we're teaming up with NBC and great Olympic athletes to teach 9 to 14 year old girls that they're too strong to use drugs or engage in other risky behaviors.

But we have to do much more because our nation cannot afford to go down the dangerous road to drug legalization as two states have done. That means we must oppose the dangerous and misguided effort to legalize marijuana and other illicit drugs. We must send clear and consistent messages to young people that marijuana is dangerous, illegal and wrong. And in this holiday season, symbolized by light and renewal, we must renew our sacred commitment to keep our children safe and drug free.

Thank you.