A mainstay vice of the teenage years — smoking — is becoming markedly less popular in Nova Scotia, the province's fourth annual drug use survey indicates.
The 2002 survey found that 23% of teenage students smoke cigarettes, a 13% drop from 1998, and the proportion of regular teen smokers — those who have more than 10 cigarettes a day — dipped to 4% from 7%. Overall, the percentage of students who did not use drugs in the past 12 months increased to 40% in 2002 from 35% in 1998. More than 4300 Nova Scotia students from grades 7, 9, 10 and 12 participated in the study last spring.
“We need to continue to support [youth] in making healthy choices and at the same time provide more support services to those who may experiment or have problems,” said then Health Minister Jamie Muir. He attributed the marked decline in tobacco use to higher cigarette prices, smoke-free legislation, greater awareness of the harm smoking does and greater support for young people who want to quit — all components of Nova Scotia's antitobacco strategy.
Despite the decrease in smoking, Nova Scotia's rate is still slightly above the Canadian average. Nationwide, 22.5% of youth aged 15–19 smoked in 2001.
Dr. Christiane Poulin, principal investigator in the Nova Scotia survey and a professor in Dalhousie's Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, says the decrease in cigarette smoking is “very significant. However, the survey also shows that a fairly large percentage of teenagers is using substances in a manner that puts them at risk of harm — including driving while impaired. We need to help students reduce these high-risk behaviours.”
The survey found that 26% of students reported driving within 1 hour of using cannabis. Of the 29% of students who reported having had sexual intercourse in the past year, 35% reported having unplanned sex while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. For the first time, the survey also measured the incidence of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) use, and found that 4% of students had used the popular street drug at least once in the past year. — Donalee Moulton, Halifax
Figure. A disappearing breed? Photo by: The Canadian Press