During the pandemic, alcohol and marijuana use rates among DHS & HPHS students declined sharply. In the same time, more students said they believed it was wrong and harmful for them to use these substances. The number of students who felt it is “cool” to use alcohol and marijuana dropped by more than a third.
The conclusion: The pandemic seemed to bolster students’ healthy choices.
Why? While most of our teens choose to be drug-free for their own reasons, a number of protective factors were also at work during the pandemic. These include increased parent supervision, a limited number of social gatherings, and fewer social pressures to engage in risky behaviors. That said, with summer here, vaccines and the lifting of restrictions, these protective factors will likely diminish and the rate of drug use among our teens may start to creep up again. The good news is that there are many different protective factors which parents can control. Check out this short video to find out more about what you can do.
