Top drug official- Decline in illegal use shows efforts working

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A new study showing fewer teens using illegal drugs proves that partnerships between the federal government and local agencies are working, the nation's top drug official said.

"People talk about partnerships in government," said John Walters, director of the Cabinet-level Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Here is one of the places where it could not be clearer."

Walters was in Kansas City on Friday to present an award from his office to a local coalition working to reduce use of drugs and alcohol by teens.

"We have communities like this across the nation, where people like yourselves are saving lives every day," Walters said. "We can save more lives, more rapidly, with more people reaching to lend a hand."

On Thursday, the government released its 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. It found that American youths are using marijuana, LSD and Ecstasy, but more are abusing prescription drugs.

The study also showed a 20 percent decline between 2002 and 2003 in the number of youths who smoke marijuana at least 20 days each month.

The latest Missouri statistics from the federal Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse were issued in August. For the most recent years available, 2000-2001, 9.94 percent of those ages 12 to 17 had used an illicit drug in the previous month.