More than half of Cayman Islands students do not use substances at all, according to a report on substance use by the territory’s adolescents, but among those who do, alcohol is the most popular drug of choice.
The National Drug Council surveyed more than 1,600 students on their use of 17 substances as part of the Cayman Islands Student Drug Use Survey 2012.
The report found that 40 percent of survey participants recorded using alcohol, followed by 14.6 percent who use ganja.
Tobacco users (11.9 percent), Donkey Weed or local bush (3.4 percent), and tranquilizers (2.6 percent) followed. Other substances were used by around 1 percent or fewer students.
The report, which included young people on the Sister Islands as well as Grand Cayman, found that females were more likely to report alcohol use than males, and that more than 20 percent of female drinkers preferred to drink at social events, while almost 18 percent of males reported drinking at home.
Weekend drinking
Almost 15 percent of those participants said they drank during weekends; fewer than 5 percent reported daily alcohol use. The average age of first use for alcohol was 12 years old, while around 30 percent reported an “early onset of use,” meaning they tried their first drink between the ages of 6 and 11.
More than 450 students reported binge drinking, the consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting.
“This pattern of drinking among youth warrants special attention because of the increase of likelihood for harmful consequences such as injury, driving while intoxicated, violence and unsafe sex,” the report stated,
Female binge drinkers
It found that females were more likely to binge drink than males, and that binge drinking increased with school grade levels, with almost half of students in Grade 12 reporting such behavior.
The main source of alcohol was friends, followed by other relatives and other sources, parents, shop, brother or sister and street dealer. Some 60 percent of students stated it was “easy” or “very easy” to obtain alcohol. The 2012 report recorded a decrease in tobacco use since 2010, while the percentage of students who smoked ganja doubled since 1998.
To view the report, visit www.ndc.ky.
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