Taking a look at the reality of drug and alcohol use by kids

“Let’s get the real facts out there…”

During the course of the local debate on how to regulate retail recreational marijuana in Crested Butte, both sides were inclined to throw out “facts and figures” making their case. The Crested Butte Town Council has been adamant in stating they want to tax local marijuana sales and funnel some of that money to educate local students about the effects of drugs on their young lives.
Some of that money is likely to end up with the Gunnison County Substance Abuse Prevention Project (GCSAPP). Matthew Kuehlhorn, the director of GCSAPP, says the first step in educating kids is to make sure the facts are indeed the facts.

“Kids are smart,” he said. “They know what’s real. For me, there was a lot of positioning at the public hearing in Crested Butte over marijuana regulations. Overall, there was a strong interest in our kids and community but people tended to bend some of the real numbers. We have to look at what is really going on, to the best of our ability.”
To find that reality, GCSAPP has been surveying local kids since 2006. As part of the “Healthy Kids Colorado Survey,” they annually ask kids about their alcohol and drug use and what the students see happening within their schools. Kuehlhorn says the survey is sort of a yearly snapshot of where students are, but it points out some definite trends.
“Right now, the trend in Crested Butte and throughout the valley is that there is less substance use among students,” Kuehlhorn said. “But it seems the general public perceives a higher use rate among our youth than what may be really going on.”
One of the most interesting facts to come out of the GCSAPP survey is that marijuana and alcohol use by local high school students seems to have gone down about 8 percent from 2009 to 2012.
Specifically, in 2010, 56 percent of Crested Butte high school students were not using alcohol. In 2012, that figure was 59 percent. As for marijuana use, in 2010, 70 percent reported they weren’t using marijuana. That number went up to 84 percent in 2012.
“The [use] trend has been declining for the last seven years. While there are few bumps up or down in the data since 2006, it has been decreasing,” Kuehlhorn noted. “Why that is may be in part because of things like GCSAPP and the community education effort. Also, the schools provide some excellent opportunities for the students to get engaged. They have small classes. There is a lot of individual attention. Being part of a small town with involved parents is factor. In Crested Butte, a kid will walk down the street and be seen by adults who they know. It’s pretty cool and a sign of a strong community. It all is a part of a huge protective factor and works in their favor.”
It is the perceived risk by students and parents that worries Kuehlhorn as much as anything from the recent surveys. In 2011, 58 percent of Crested Butte high school students said they felt there was moderate or great risk in using marijuana regularly. In 2012, that figure dropped to 54 percent. And one in three high school seniors felt there was “no risk”’ in using marijuana. As for alcohol, 76 percent of local high school students felt there was significant risk to using it regularly in 2011. In 2012, the figure was similar, at 77 percent.
“It is something worth noting,” Kuehlhorn said. “The drop in the perceived risk is significant and might be a signal that use will start to increase. What’s interesting is that it seems the bulk of the perception of risk is dropping with marijuana use. And perception among middle-school–aged students has dropped more than the high-school–aged student. For Crested Butte, we’re talking four percentage points for high school and seven percentage points for middle school. Perhaps the middle school students are more impressionable and they’re reading the articles and hearing the stories about the legalization of marijuana. I don’t know for sure.”
Getting drugs or alcohol in the valley doesn’t appear to be too hard. About half the local kids feel it would be “very easy” to get either alcohol or marijuana in town. While very few kids say they drive after drinking, almost one in 10 indicate they have been in a car with a driver who has had a drink.
According to Kuehlhorn, GCSAPP’s strategy is to engage and educate students and parents. By providing people with the knowledge of consequences and what is really happening in a developing brain, along with the tools and support for consistent communication, GCSAPP believes the community can affect the health of youth positively.
“This is all without taking on a ‘just say no’ mindset that Nancy Reagan populated and without using ‘fear factors’ that were used initially in the 1970s. Information and communication is power,” said Kuehlhorn.
 “The bottom line is that I really want to promote the parent and student engagement,” Kuehlhorn summarized. “Let’s put the facts out there, see what is really going on and address the need for the conversation.”
To that end, there will be a Parent Education Night in Mt. Crested Butte on October 23 at Mountaineer Square. There will be a free dinner and program. Doors open promptly at 6 p.m. and in order to finish before 8:30 p.m. GCSAPP will start the program at 6:20 p.m. Get your free ticket and RSVP to LovingParents.org.