Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Kathryn P. Jett, Director of the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, recently released the results of the 11th Biennial California Student Survey that showed high school students' drug and alcohol use during 2005 and 2006 remain low after significant declines earlier this decade.

"This study finds overall that students in California are not drinking alcohol or taking drugs as much as they were a few years ago," Lockyer said. "Even though there have been steady declines since 2000, the level of involvement remains troubling. The challenge ahead of us is to lower students' drug and alcohol use even more."

According to the study, California youth who do drink tend to be heavy drinkers, similar to their peers nationally.

Excessive alcohol use was reported by 27 percent of 11thgraders, 14 percent of ninthgraders and 5.5 percent of seventhgraders. Measures of excessive alcohol use include drinking to get drunk or binge drinkingwhich is defined as five drinks in a row on three days during the past 30 days.

The study's findings show heavy or highrisk drug use reported by 17 percent of 11thgraders, 11 percent of ninth-graders and 4 percent of seventh-gradersHigh-risk drug use is defined as frequent use of multiple drugsweekly or daily marijuana use, or use of cocaine or crack.

Among the findings, the survey confirmed that significant declines in substance use that began in 1998 have now leveled off, with current results similar to the last survey in 2004.

Drinking alcohol, the most popular substance with teens, was reported by 61 percent of 11thgraders, 47 percent of ninthgraders and 27 percent of seventhgraders in the six months prior to the survey.

Use of marijuana, the second most popular substance, was reported by 30 percent of 11thgraders, 19 percent of ninth-graders and 7 percent of seventh-graders.

A new survey question asked students whether they used prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percodan to get high. The results showed that prescription drugs were abused by 15 percent of 11th-graders, 9 percent of ninthgraders and 4 percent of seventhgraders, making these painkillers the most popular substance after alcohol and marijuana.

According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration last month, California's longterm trends mirror recent federal findings that national drug use among youth ages 12 to 17 continue to decline from 2002 levels.

Conducted every two years since 1985, the survey is sponsored by the Attorney General's Office to measure substance and alcohol use by California students in grades seven, nine and 11. Cosponsored by the Depart

ment of Alcohol and Drug Programs and the Department of Education, the current survey collected data from 10,638 randomly-selected students in 113 middle and high schools between September 2005 and February 2006.

More information is available on the Attorney General's Crime and Violence Prevention webpage at www.safestate.org/CSS.