Keep up fight against substance abuse

THE ISSUE Surveys indicate that state campaigns against smoking and substance abuse are having positive results.

NATIONAL and state surveys show that Hawaii's efforts to discourage substance abuse have been effective. Cigarette smoking among young people has dropped dramatically, while Hawaii is making greater progress than other states in combating substance abuse. State campaigns against abuse of tobacco and the use of illicit drugs should continue.

The state Health Department reports that cigarette smoking among middle and high school students dropped by half from 1993 to last year. Middle schoolers who consider themselves smokers fell from 12.9 percent to only 5 percent, while high school smokers dropped from 24.5 percent to 12.6 percent.

Smoking among Hawaii residents from ages 12 through 17 stayed about 9 percent from 2002 to 2004, while smokers aged 26 or older declined from 21.8 percent to 19.4 percent, according to a report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. During that period, smoking was more prevalent among people from 18-25; the national level stayed at about 40 percent, while Hawaii's numbers increased from 34.3 percent to 36 percent.

Other Hawaii figures in the federal survey are encouraging. While the percentage of people 12 and older who perceived a great risk in smoking marijuana increased nationally from 39.1 percent to 39.7 percent, Hawaii's numbers nearly caught up, jumping from 34.3 percent to 38.8 percent in just two years.

While people who reported using pain relievers nonmedically from 2002 to 2004 remained at 4.8 percent nationally, Hawaii was the only state that showed a significant drop, from 39.1 percent to 3.1 percent.

In nearly all categories -- tobacco, marijuana, cocaine and all other illicit drug use -- Hawaii saw a reduction of users and increase in those aware of the risks. One important area due for more attention is drug treatment: Those saying they needed but did not receive such treatment crept from 2. 6 percent in 2002 to 2.7 percent in 2004.