Teenage girls pass boys in smoking, drug use

WASHINGTON – Teenage girls, having already caught up to their male counterparts in illegal drug use and alcohol consumption, now have the dubious distinction of surpassing boys in smoking and prescription drug abuse. In the past two years, in fact, more young women than men started using marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes, according to government findings being released today.

The results are doubly disturbing, researchers say, because they run counter to trends indicating an overall decline in teen drug use and because young women appear to suffer more serious health consequences as a result.

“It’s really sad the girls are winning,” said Warren Seigel, chairman of pediatrics at Brooklyn’s Coney Island Hospital. “This isn’t the game they should be winning at.”

Adolescent girls who smoke, drink or take drugs are at higher risk of depression, addictions and stunted growth. And because substance abuse often goes hand-in-hand with risky sexual behavior, they are more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease or become pregnant, warns the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which will announce its findings in New York.

The new analysis is based on the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which interviewed members of 70,000 households. Conducted annually by the federal government since 1971, the survey is a highly regarded detailed look at adult and teen behaviors over three decades.

In many cases, concerns over weight and self-esteem factor heavily in girls’ decisions to smoke or use prescription drugs. Magazines, reality television and movies portray young female celebrities as successful, thin – and drug users, said Jessica Morales, another member of Peer Advocates.

Girls even face increased pressure from the beverage industry, said Craig Turner, director of youth and social services in Wallingford, Conn. “They’ve been creating new products specifically geared toward women,” he said. “They’re called alcopops – fruit-flavored drinks, enhanced lemonades, flavored hard liquors. Where taste alone used to deter kids, they like the taste of these.”