Drug and Alcohol Use among New Jersey High School Students 1990.

In the fall of 1979 the Department of Law and Public Safety established a task force on juvenile drug and alcohol use in New Jersey. A survey instrument was developed as a cooperative effort by the Departments of Law and Public Safety, Education, and Health, and was administered to approximately 2,000 high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors throughout New Jersey. The data obtained from that survey were analyzed to identify and describe the types of substances used, the frequency of use, and patterns of substance abuse. Information was also reported regarding the perceived availability of illicit substances and respondent attitudes regarding substance use. The results of the survey were issued in the spring of 1981. Subsequent administrations of the survey took place in 1983, 1986, and 1989. Findings from the 1989 survey are organized into two major sections in this report: Prevalence of Substance Use, and Student Attitudes and Patterns of Substance Use. Each section includes both narrative highlights of the major findings as well as detailed tables of the relevant data. In addition, comparisons are made throughout the report between the findings of this and the previous surveys. To assist in identifying noteworthy trends in the data, notations are included indicating those changes which are statistically significant. A third section is included containing more detailed data regarding the frequencies of specific substance use by major respondent subgroups. The 1989 survey instrument is appended. (LLL)