LA High Schoolers Top Nation In Drinking, Use Of Injectable Drugs

A study by Project Know shows Louisiana high schoolers consume alcohol and injectable drugs at the highest rate in the nation.

American Addiction Centers Researcher Ruchi Dhani says the national average for alcohol use is 28 percent, but Louisiana topped the list at 34 percent, and led in another concerning category as well.

“We looked at illegal drugs delivered by injection, such as heroin, Louisiana had the highest state percent of eight percent, whereas the national average was 2.7 percent.”

Louisiana’s high school rate of marijuana use was about average at 18.8 percent.

Dhani says the state as a whole has some of the worst drug use rates in the nation…

“According to the CDC, in 2017 there were more drug overdose deaths than homicides or firearm deaths in Louisiana.”

And those adult drug use numbers trickle down to the next generation, where young people who have addicted parents are more than four times more likely to become addicted themselves.

Survey information shows many Bayou State students aren’t just using at home, they’re brining their drugs to school with them.

“28.5 percent of Louisiana high school students admitted to using illegal drugs on school grounds, which is above the national average of 22.9 percent.”

The study looked at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2017.