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Fewer Teens Get High From Household Inhalants

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The Associated Press

Published: March 18, 2009

WASHINGTON - Fewer teens are sniffing glue, lighter fluid, spray paint, shoe polish and other easy-to-find substances, a government study said Monday.

The study said the number of adolescents who abuse inhalants, as opposed to trying them, remained stable from 2002 through 2007, suggesting the need for continued prevention and treatment efforts.

"Most parents don't realize how dangerous inhalants can be," said Ed Jurith, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "These products, found in every home in America, are among the most popular and deadly substances that kids abuse."

Almost 1 million youths aged 12 to 17 used some kind of inhalant in 2007, according to the study by the Department of Health and Human Services.

That represents 3.9 percent of adolescents, compared with about 1.1 million, or 4.4 percent, in 2006.

The rate of "initiation," or teens trying inhalants for the first time, was also slightly lower in 2007: 2.1 percent of teens, down from 2.4 percent in 2006.

Experts have attributed the drop to ongoing efforts to educate teens about the dangers of inhalant use and encourage parents to discuss the issue with their children.

The rate of dependence and abuse was relatively stable from 2002 to 2007, with 0.4 percent of teens, or about 99,000 people, meeting the criteria for dependence or abuse.

Also, the study said that inhalants remain the third most-popular choice for teens trying drugs for the first time.

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