2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
4
CHAPTER 4
ILLEGAL DRUG USE
INTRODUCTION
Drug use costs taxpayers about $98 billion annually in preventable health care costs, extra law enforcement,
auto crashes, crime, and lost productivity (4a). More importantly, the use of illegal drugs can have a
devastating impact on a person’s health and safety, leading to death and long-term disability. Illegal drug
use has also been associated with injury, violence, unwanted sexual contact, teen pregnancy, school failure,
and delinquency. Further, injection drug use is one of the major transmission routes for infection with HIV,
the virus that causes AIDS.
In 2004, an estimated 19 million Americans were current illegal drug users, meaning that they had used an
illicit drug in the past month (4b). Overall, the use of most illicit drugs by adolescents in the U.S. has declined
over the past decade (4c). Nationwide and in Massachusetts, marijuana is by far the most commonly used
drug among youth, accounting for most of the illegal drug use being reported (4d). Among Massachusetts
adolescents in 2003, in fact, rates for past-month marijuana use among adolescents were higher than rates
of past-month cigarette smoking, and were also higher than they were in the country as a whole (4e).
This chapter will present the most recent prevalence rates of marijuana use – both lifetime and current – as
well as lifetime rates for a variety of other illegal drugs including ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamines,
steroids, and heroin. Many of the drug questions on the MYRBS questionnaire have changed between
administrations, making it difficult to report trends in the use of specific drugs. However, prevalence trends
are shown of those drugs for which there are multiple years of data.
In addition, students were asked to report their use of needles to inject drugs, their use of marijuana on
school property, and if they were offered or sold drugs on school property in the 12 months before the
survey.
KEY FINDINGS FROM THE 2005 MYRBS


Many measures of adolescent drug have dropped significantly in the past decade and continue
to show small decreases.
-
Current marijuana use has dropped from a high of 32% in 1995 to 26% in 2005, although
this rate is higher than in other parts of the country.
-
Significant declines have occurred in any lifetime use of methamphetamines, heroin,
ecstasy, or injected drugs.
-
Fewer students than in previous years (30%) report being sold, offered, or given drugs on
school property.
Ethnic differences in illegal drug use varied by the specific drug in question. Black students
were somewhat more likely than other youth to report ever having used marijuana, but Other or
Multiple Ethnicity adolescents had the highest rates of most other drug use.
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
RESULTS
MARIJUANA
Forty-five percent (45%) of all high school students reported ever using marijuana in their lifetimes. The rate
of lifetime marijuana use has been on a steady, although not significant, decline since 1997 (51%). (Figure
4a)
Over one quarter of adolescents (26%) reported using marijuana within the past 30 days. This rate of
current marijuana use is higher than the 21% reported for past-month cigarette smoking.
Although males were somewhat more likely than females to report lifetime marijuana use (48% vs. 43%) and
past-month use (29% vs. 23%), these differences were not statistically significant. (Figure 4b)
Significant grade-level differences occurred in lifetime marijuana use (32% of 9 th grade students vs. 55% of
12th grade students). Increases of current marijuana use, from 20% in 9 th grade to 30% among juniors, were
also significant. (Figure 4c)
Students of Other/Multiple Ethnicity and Black students reported the highest rate of lifetime marijuana use
(49% of both groups); Asian students reported the least (28%). (Figure 4d)
Rates of current marijuana use were also lowest for Asian youth (15%), in comparison to their White (27%),
Black (28%), Hispanic (25%) and Other/Mixed Ethnicity peers (31%).
Among students who reported current marijuana use, 34% used the drug one or two times in the 30 days
before the survey. Forty-four percent (44%) used marijuana ten or more times during the 30-day period, an
average of more than once a week. Nearly, one in five current marijuana users (19%) used the drug more
than once a day (i.e., 40 or more times in the 30 day period).
More than three-quarter of students (76%) who had ever used marijuana also reported current marijuana
use, suggesting that one-time experimentation with marijuana is rare.
Twenty-one percent (21%) of lifetime users (9% of all students) used marijuana for the first time before age
13 years.
Among students who ever used marijuana, those who did so for the first time before age 13 were
significantly more likely than their peers (who used marijuana for the first time after age 13) to report:

Current (within past 30 days) marijuana use (76% vs. 54%)

Cocaine use in lifetime (34% vs. 11%)

Steroid use in lifetime (17% vs. 4%)

Heroin use in lifetime (12% vs. 2%)

Ecstasy use in lifetime (30% vs. 9%)

Methamphetamine use in lifetime (19% vs. 6%)

Current inhalant use (17% vs. 6%)

Other drug use in lifetime (43% vs. 18%)
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Figure 4a. Marijuana Use among Massachusetts High School Students, 1995 - 2005
1995
1999
45.2
2001
2003
9.0
6.3
7.0
11.2
10.0
26.2
30.9
27.7
30.6
30.9
31.9
10.7
2005
9.4
10
11.1
9.2
20
12.5
30
11.9
Percent of Students
40
5.3
50.4
50.9
50.2
1997
46.7
50
47.9
60
0
Lifetime marijuana use
Early initiation of
marijuana use
Current marijuana use (*)
Marijuana use
on school property (*)
(*) Statistically significant decrease from 1997 p< .05
45
47.6
50
42.7
Figure 4b. Lifetime Use of Illegal Drugs among Massachusetts High School Students by
Gender, 2005
Females
Males
35
30
0.8
1.9
10.2
3.2
1.4
4.5
3.3
5
5.6
3.1
9.1
10
6.6
15
7.5
20
13.0
25
6.1
Percent of Students
40
D
ru
g
U
se
(a
)
In
je
ct
ed
O
th
er
D
ru
gs
(*
)
H
er
oi
n
St
er
oi
ds
M
et
ha
m
ph
et
am
in
es
(*
)
(*
)
as
y
Ec
st
C
oc
ai
ne
M
ar
iju
an
a
0
(*) Statistically significant difference between male and female students, p < .05
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Figure 4c. Lifetime Use of Illegal Drugs among Massachusetts High School Students by
Grade, 2005
Percent of Students
52.6
54.6
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade
32.0
50
40
9th Grade
44.3
60
9.9
11.9
11.7
13.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.1
2.6
2.0
1.7
2.7
4.2
4.1
3.4
3.9
10
4.4
4.4
3.9
4.4
5.0
5.6
6.8
10.2
20
5.6
7.7
8.5
10.4
30
In
je
ct
ed
D
ru
g
Us
e
(a
)
O
th
er
Dr
ug
s
He
ro
in
St
er
oi
ds
es
M
et
ha
m
ph
et
am
in
Co
ca
in
e
M
Ec
st
as
y
ar
iju
an
a
(*
(*)
)
0
(*) Statistically significant increase between grade levels, p< .05
Figure 4d. Lifetime Use of Illegal Drugs among Massachusetts High School Students by
Race/Ethnicity, 2005
White
49.1
Hispanic
39.5
16.3
13.3
1.2
3.3
1.2
3.0
2.7
5.6
6.1
7.3
2.2
2.9
2.5
5.8
6.1
4.0
4.0
3.7
5.1
6.9
11.7
4.5
2.9
3.8
5.9
8.9
10
4.6
5.0
6.0
20
Other
8.6
30
Asian
7.1
5.8
4.9
8.8
12.2
40
Black
28.1
Percent of Students
50
46.3
49.3
60
D
ru
g
U
se
(a
)
In
je
ct
ed
O
th
er
D
ru
gs
H
er
oi
n
St
er
oi
ds
es
in
M
et
ha
m
ph
et
am
as
y
Ec
st
C
oc
ai
ne
M
ar
iju
an
a
0
(a) Other drugs such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol, or GHB
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Figure 4e. Lifetime Use of Other Illegal Drugs by Massachusetts High School Students,
1995-2005
1995
1999
16.0
13.3
11.7
2001
13.3
14.0
2003
2.7
2.2
1.5
2.0
1.7
2.8
2.0
3.0
2.4
3.8
4.0
3.0
4.8
4.6
4.0
4.6
4.4
4.2
4.4
6.0
6.1
7.0
8.3
9.1
2005
6.9
8.3
7.0
7.5
10.0
8.4
7.9
9.6
12.0
8.0
16.4
1997
18.0
U
se
ru
g
D
In
je
ct
ed
(a
)
O
th
er
D
ru
gs
(*
)
(*
)
H
er
oi
n
es
in
ph
et
am
M
et
ha
m
St
er
oi
ds
(*
)
)
(*
as
y
Ec
st
C
oc
ai
ne
0.0
(*) Statistically significant decrease from 2001, p< .05; (a) Other drugs such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine,
Rohypnol, or GHB
LIFETIME AND CURRENT USE OF OTHER ILLEGAL DRUGS
In 2005, 17% of high school students reported lifetime use of another illegal drug (not including marijuana).
That is they reported having ever used at least one of the following: cocaine in any form, MDMA (i.e.
ecstasy), heroin, methamphetamines, steroids, or some other type of illegal drug (such as inhalants, LSD,
PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol or GHB). (Figure 4e)
One in ten students (10%) had used an illegal drug other than marijuana in the past 30 days.
Including marijuana, almost half of all Massachusetts adolescents had used an illegal drug in their lifetimes.
Almost three in ten (29%) had used marijuana, inhalants, heroin or some other illegal drug in the past 30
days. in the past month.
Three out of five (60%) students who had ever used an illegal drug in their lifetimes also reported using a
drug in the 30 days before the survey.
COCAINE
About 8% of all high school students used cocaine in their lifetimes. The rate of lifetime cocaine use has not
changed significantly since 1995.
Forty-three percent (43%) of students who had ever used cocaine used the drug only once or twice. Twentytwo percent (22%) reported using the drug twenty or more times.
Differences in the lifetime use of cocaine between male and female students (9% vs. 7%) were not
significant.
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
The reported rate of lifetime cocaine use increased with grade in school. Seniors were nearly twice as likely
as freshman to have ever used cocaine (10% vs. 6%).
Students of Other/Multiple Ethnicity were most likely to report lifetime cocaine use: 12% of students in this
category had ever used cocaine. Nine percent (9%) of White students, 6% of Asian students and 5% of both
Hispanic and Black students reported lifetime cocaine use.
ECSTASY
Seven percent (7%) of Massachusetts adolescents had used ecstasy (MDMH) at some time in their lives.
Ecstasy rates have dropped sharply since 2001, when 13% of youth had tried the drug.
Nearly one-quarter (23%) of lifetime ecstasy users have used the drug ten or more times. However, more
than half (53%) used ecstasy only one or two times.
Report of ecstasy use increased significantly with grade in school. Twice as many seniors (10%) reported
lifetime ecstasy use than freshman (5%).
Hispanic students reported the lowest rate of lifetime ecstasy use (5%) followed by Black students (6%),
White students (7%), Asian students (9%) and students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity (12%).
METHAMPHETAMINES
Four percent (4%) of high school students used methamphetamines (also called crank, speed, crystal, or
ice) at least once in their lifetimes, only half as many as had reported its use in 1995 when the rate was 8%.
Forty-four percent (44%) of all students who had ever used methamphetamines did so only one or two times.
More than one-third (38%) have used the drug ten or more times.
Male students were more likely than female students to report having ever used methamphetamines in their
lifetimes (7% vs. 3%).
There were no significant grade differences in lifetime methamphetamine use: 4% of students in all grades
reported having used the drug in their lifetimes.
Students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity (9%) were most likely to report having ever used methamphetamine,
followed by Asian students (6%), Whites students (5%), Hispanic students (4%) and Black students (3%).
STEROIDS
Four percent (4%) of all students used steroids without a doctor’s prescription.
Among students who had ever used steroids, 27% did so only one or two times: 41% used steroids ten or
more times.
Neither gender differences nor grade level differences in steroid use were statistically significant.
Four percent ( 4% ) each of White, Black and Hispanic students, 6% of Asian students and 7% of students of
Other or Multiple Ethnicity has used steroids in their lifetimes.
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
HEROIN
Only 2.4% of all students reported ever using heroin in their lifetimes. The rate of lifetime heroin use has
declined significantly since 1999, when the rate was 3.8%. One and one-half percent (1.5%) of adolescents
reported using heroin within the past 30 days.
Forty-one percent (41%) of students who had used heroin in their lifetimes used the drug only one or two
times. However, nearly half (45%) of students who had ever used heroin used the drug tem or more times.
Males were three times more likely than females to report lifetime heroin use (3% vs. 1% respectively).
Lifetime heroin use rates did not differ significantly by grade.
OTHER DRUGS
Roughly 12% of high school students reported any lifetime use of drugs other than those mentioned above,
such as inhalants, LSD, PCP, mushrooms, Ketamine, Rohypnol, or GHB. Although this appears to be a
significant decrease since 2001, comparisons between years may not be valid since the specific drugs
mentioned varied from year to year.
Male students had a slightly higher rate of lifetime other drug use than females (13% vs. 10% respectively).
Students of Other/ Multiple Ethnicity (16%) and White students (13%) were significantly more likely than
Hispanic students (6%) or Black students (6%) to report other drug use in their lifetimes. Seven percent
(7%) of Asian students reported other drug use.
INJECTION DRUG USE
Nearly two percent (1.5%) of high school students reported ever using a needle to inject illegal drugs,
representing a significant decline in the past decade.
Male students were significantly more likely to report injection drug use than their female counterparts (2%
vs. 1% respectively).
Injection drug use did not vary significantly across grades.
The highest rates of injection drug use was observed among Black students, students of Other or Multiple
Ethnicity and Asian students, each at 3%, followed by White students and Hispanic students, each at 1%.
INHALANTS
Five percent (5%) of all high school students used inhalants in the month before the survey, similar to
previous rates (4% in 1999 and 6% in 2003).
Male and females students were as likely to have used inhalants in the month before the survey (6% and 5%
respectively).
Current inhalant use decreased significantly with age and grade, from 9% among 9 th grade students to 2%
among seniors.
The highest rate of current inhalant use was found among students of Other or Mixed Ethnicity (12%). Four
percent (4%) of Black students, 5% of Hispanic students, 6% of White students and 8% of Asian students
reported current inhalant use.
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
OTHER DRUGS
Students were asked to report their use of any illegal drug other than marijuana, heroin or inhalants in the 30
days before the survey. This includes any drug such as cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy, or other
illegal drugs. Seven percent (7%) of students reported current use of other drugs.
Nine percent (9%) of male students and 6% of female students reported current use of other drugs.
There were no significant racial/ethnic or grade-level differences in the prevalence of current drug use.
ILLEGAL DRUGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
Five percent (5%) of all students had used marijuana on school property in the 30 days prior to the survey, a
significant decline from the 11% reported in 1995.
Males were nearly twice more likely than females to report having used marijuana on school property in the
month before the survey (7% vs. 4%), but the rate did not vary significantly by grade or racial/ethnic
background.
Thirty percent (30%) of all students were offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property in the year
before the survey, a significant decline from the 39% reported in 1995.
While the rate of being offered, sold or given drugs on school property did not vary significantly by grade or
race/ethnicity it did vary significantly by gender. Male students (34%) were more likely than female students
(25%) to report having been offered, sold or given illegal drugs at school.
Massachusetts’ rates of being offered, sold, or given illegal drugs on school property are significantly higher
than rates for the United States as a whole (30% vs. 25%) (4d). This discrepancy is most likely due to higher
Massachusetts rates of adolescent marijuana use than is true in the rest of the country.
ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND OTHER RISK BEHAVIORS
Illegal drug use was associated with a host of other risk behaviors. For example, students who reported use
of any illicit drug within the past 30 days were also significantly more likely than their peers to report

driving after drinking alcohol (23% vs. 4%)

carrying a weapon in the past month (30% vs. 8%)

having been or gotten someone pregnant (9% vs. 2%)

making a suicide attempt in the past year (11% vs. 4%)
ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Students who reported using any illegal drugs were significantly less likely than their peers to have received
A’s, B’s, or C’s in their courses the previous year (79% vs. 89%)
PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR ILLEGAL DRUG USE
The presence of several protective factors was associated with lower rates of current (past 30 days) illegal
drug use. Drug use was significantly lower among students who:

Felt they could talk with adult family members about things that were important to them (27%
vs. 42%)
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Believed that there was at least one teacher or other school staff member they could talk to if
they had a problem (27% vs. 34%)

Participated in organized extracurricular activities (23% vs. 35%)

Engaged in community service or volunteer work (24% vs. 33%)
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
Contrary to some popular misconceptions, most drug use did not differ by kind of community. The sole
exception to this was that any lifetime cocaine use was significantly higher among students in rural school
districts (11%) than those in urban (7%) and suburban (8%) districts.
Sexual minority youth were more likely than other adolescents to report most drug use behaviors. For
example, they had higher rates than their peers of any drug use within the past 30 days (53% vs. 28%).
Students receiving special education services were similar to other students in their reports of illicit drug use.
Homeless adolescents had higher rates than other youth on most drug use indicators. For example, they
were significantly more likely than their peers to have used an illegal drug within the past month (59% vs.
28%).
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Fewer Massachusetts high school students than at any time in the past ten years are using illegal drugs. In
particular, lifetime rates of ecstasy, methamphetamine, heroin, and injection drug use have declined
significantly. Further, fewer adolescents are reporting current marijuana use or being offered, sold, or given
drugs on school property. Lifetime. However, the use and availability of illegal drugs remain serious
problems in Massachusetts. Lifetime and current rates of marijuana use in Massachusetts have been
consistently above the national average since 1993 (see Appendix D), and the rate of lifetime cocaine use
increased slightly from 1995 to 1999 and has not changed significantly since.
National data indicate that many adolescents perceive little harm in illegal drug use. For example, only about
one third of high school students believe that there is any great risk from the occasional use of marijuana,
and over two-thirds assert that marijuana would be easy to get (4c). Even though there has been a
significant decline in the percent of students who are offered, sold, or given drugs on school property, the
2005 MYRBS data indicate the ease with which illegal drugs can still be obtained at school. Also, YRBS data
have shown that a higher percentage of Massachusetts youth, as compared to youth across the county,
report having been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property. (4d) Because both perceived risk
and perceived availability are key correlates of drug use, this information suggests that schools and
communities should work together to educate young people about the negative physical, cognitive,
emotional, and social consequences of drug use, while ensuring stronger and more vigilant enforcement of
drug policies and laws.
Nearly every public school district in Massachusetts receives funds to promote safe and drug-free school
environments. The Safe and Drug Free Schools grant program sets clear guidelines for implementing
curricula and programs to prevent drug use among students. It is important that schools use curricula and
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
programs that have been carefully evaluated and found to be effective (4f). Previous research has shown the
association between illegal drug use and other risk behaviors. For this reason, it is important that schools
address the issue of drug abuse in a comprehensive way, showing the relationships among risk behaviors
and teaching skills-based approaches to help students avoid risky situations and decisions.
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2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey
CHAPTER 4: REFERENCES
4a. National Institutes of Health (2006). NIDA InfoFacts: Costs to society. [On-line] Retrieved on December
11, 2006 from http://www.nida.nih.gov/InfoFacts/costs.html
4b. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (2006).
Summary of the findings from the 2004 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse [on-line]. Retrieved
on December 11, 2006, from www.samhsa.gov/oas.
4c. Johnston, L.D., O’Malley, P., Bachman, J., & Schulenberg, J. (2006) Monitoring the Future national
results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2005. (NIH Publication No. 065882).
Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
4d. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006, June 9) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United
States, 2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55, No. SS-5.
4e. Massachusetts Department of Education (2004) 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results. Malden,
MA: Author.
4f.
Dunesbury, L., Falco, M., & Lake, A. (1997). A review of the evaluation of 47 drug abuse prevention
curricula available nationally. Journal of School Health, 67, 127-132.
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