Student drug use in Prince Edward Island is similar to use in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Alcohol and cannabis use has not changed much since the survey was last done in 1998; however youth smoking rates in PEI have dropped considerably.

A collaborative initiative of the Atlantic provinces, the survey was conducted in May 2002 by the Department of Health and Social Services. Participants included 2415 students in junior and senior high schools across the province. The survey describes the extent and patterns of student drug use and associated risk behaviours.

Health and Social Services Minister Jamie Ballem said that, while adolescent drug use remains a concern, some of the information in the report is encouraging. "Our rates of alcohol and tobacco use are similar to those of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick rates, while our rate of cannabis use is considerably lower. These rates have remained stable over the past four years, with the exception of tobacco use which dropped from 27 percent of students in 1998 to 18 percent of students in 2002," said Minister Ballem. "This is encouraging news for us in Health, Education, and community organizations who are working together to reduce smoking rates among Island youth."

Education Minister Chester Gillan said the information from the survey will be very helpful to educators and policy makers. "Student drug use is a concern for the education system because it impacts a student's learning, growth and development. We are pleased to see that almost half our students do not use drugs, that our numbers are not going up, and in fact they have declined in some areas," he said. "Working with our community partners, we now have many strong programs in the schools to prevent and reduce drug use. With the survey results, we now have solid new evidence to monitor our progress and determine our future needs and direction."

About half of students who used alcohol reported at least one alcohol-related problem such as damaging property, injuring themselves, and drinking and driving. Of the students who used drugs, the most common problems were unplanned sex, driving under the influence, and tensions with family or friends.

Student gambling decreased from 70 percent in 1998 to 58 percent in 2002. Almost all students (96 percent) were not considered problem gamblers.

See Web site for Backgrounder and more information: www.gov.pe.ca/hss/drugsurvey/index.php3