Indicator 6.2: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use - Status and Trends in the Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives

Indicator 6.2: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use

Figure 6.2. Percentage of children ages 12 to 17 who used alcohol, smoked cigarettes, or used marijuana in the past month, by race/ethnicity: 2003

NOTE: This survey reported estimates for Asian subgroups separately, so no overall estimate is included.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002 and 2003.

Twenty percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children between the ages of 12 and 17 had used alcohol in the past month. American Indian/Alaska Native students were more likely than other racial/ethnic groups to have used marijuana in the past month.

In 2003, 20 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children between the ages of 12 and 17 reported the use of alcohol in the past month. Twenty percent of White, 11 percent of Black, and 16 percent of Hispanic children reported the use of alcohol in the past month.

American Indians/Alaska Natives between the ages of 12 and 17 were more likely to have smoked cigarettes in the past month than their White, Black, and Hispanic peers: 26 percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives had smoked cigarettes, compared to 15 percent of Whites, 7 percent of Blacks, and 9 percent of Hispanics.

In 2003, a higher percentage of American Indians/Alaska Natives between the ages of 12 and 17 used marijuana in the past month than their White, Black, and Hispanic counterparts. Specifically, 16 percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives had used marijuana in the past month, compared to 9 percent of Whites, 6 percent of Blacks, and 7 percent of Hispanics.

View Table 6.2