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Study: 1 in 10 teens high at least 20 times a month

JENNIFER C. KERRWASHINGTON -- More teens are smoking dope, with nearly 1 in 10 lighting up at least 20 or more times a month, according to a new survey of young people.

The report by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, being released Wednesday, also said abuse of prescription medicine may be easing a bit among young people in grades 9 through 12, but still remains high.

Partnership President Steve Pasierb says the mindset among parents is that it's just a little weed or a few pills - no biggie.

"Parents are talking about cocaine and heroin, things that scare them," said Pasierb. "Parents are not talking about prescription drugs and marijuana. They can't wink and nod. They need to be stressing the message that this behavior is unhealthy."

Use of harder drugs - cocaine and methamphetamine - has stabilized in recent years, the group's survey showed. But past-month usage of marijuana grew from 19 percent in 2008 to 27 percent last year. Also alarming, says Pasierb, is the percentage of teens smoking pot 20 or more times a month. That rate went from 5 percent in 2008 to 9 percent last year, or about 1.5 million teens toking up that frequently.

Alex, 17, in Houston, says he started smoking pot at age 13, mostly on the weekends with friends.

"I just liked being high," said Alex, who is in a recovery program and asked that his last name not be used. "I always felt happier. Everything was funnier and my life was just brighter."

Alex then started abusing prescription drugs at 14. He blacked out one day at school, got arrested and ended up in rehab. After being sober for two years, Alex slipped and smoked pot last month. Still, he says he hopes to work toward a more sober life.

The findings on marijuana track closely with those in a recent University of Michigan study sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. That study also found marijuana use rising among teens the past few years, reversing a long decline in the previous decade.

The partnership study suggests a link between teens who smoke pot more regularly and the use of other drugs. Teens who smoked 20 times or more a month were almost twice as likely as kids who smoked pot less frequently to use ecstasy, cocaine or crack.

Other findings:
-One in 10 teens reports using prescription pain medication - Vicodin or OxyContin - in the past year. That's down from a peak of 15 percent in 2009 and 14 percent in 2010.

-Just over half of Hispanic teens say they have used an illicit drug, such as Ecstasy or cocaine, in the past year. That compares to 39 percent for Caucasian teens and 42 percent for African American teens.

The Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates legalization, says making pot legal for adults might help cut teen usage.

"We definitely don't think that minors should be using marijuana any more than they should be drinking or using tobacco, but arresting people for doing that never stops minors," said Morgan Fox, a spokesman for the group. "If we remove marijuana from the criminal market and have the market run by responsible business people that have an incentive to check IDs and not sell to minors, then we might see those rates drop again."

The Partnership's study was sponsored by the MetLife Foundation. Researchers surveyed 3,322 teens in grades 9-12 with anonymous questionnaires that the youngsters filled out at school from March to June 2011. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Based in New York, The Partnership at Drugfree.org is formerly The Partnership for a Drug-Free America - perhaps best known for the "this is your brain on drugs" ads of the 1980s and 1990s. The nonprofit group launched its new name in 2010 to position itself as more of a resource to parents and to avoid the misperception the partnership is a government organization.

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Boy, 13, accused of sexually assaulting classmate

Eyewitness NewsYONKERS (WABC) -- A 13-year-old boy is under arrest in Westchester County for allegedly sexually assaulting a female classmate inside a school.

Police say the 13-year-old victim was attacked at the Cross Hill Academy in Yonkers on April 24.

She told her father, who contacted police.

The teenager boy, whose name has not been released, is charged with committing a criminal sexual act.

He is being held at a juvenile detention facility.

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Man convicted of manslaughter in NYPD death

nypd NYPD Officer Alain Schaberger was killed when a suspect allegedly pushed him over a railing, causing him to fall to his death on Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP Photo / NYPD)

Eyewitness NewsBROOKLYN (WABC) -- A man accused of pushing an NYPD officer to his death in Brooklyn was convicted of aggravated manslaughter but found not guilty of murder Wednesday.

George Villaneuva could still face life in prison for pushing officer Alain Schaberger off a stoop in Boerum Hill on March 13, 2011.

Schaberger was attempting to arrest Villaneuva on a domestic violence charge when he tumbled over a railing and plunged about nine feet.

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New York beefs up security for bin Laden anniversary

Eyewitness NewsWASHINGTON (WABC) -- The NYPD is beefing up security at all key transportation hubs in New York City in response to reports of potential threats one year after raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

There is no specific threat, but law enforcement officials are acting out of an abundance of caution. More than 200 officers from local, state and federal agencies will sweep the city's major subway hubs, including Penn Station, Port Authority, Grand Central and Times Square.

Armed with heavy weapons, radiation detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs, they will walk through the stations, platforms and on individual trains, looking for suspicious activity.

"No information, certainly nothing directed at New York as far as we're concerned," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said. "But we're alert and we're vigilant."

There is also increased security at overseas airports, as officials worry terrorists might try to blow up U.S.-bound flights.

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Elderly sisters scare off carjacker in New Jersey

Eyewitness NewsHAMILTON (WABC) -- A New Jersey man is behind bars after allegedly attacking two elderly sisters with a knife Tuesday.

The sisters had been shopping at pharmacy in Hamilton.

They returned to their car to find the suspect waiting for them inside.

Police say the 92- and 94-year-old women scared the man off by screaming and hitting him.

"He has a knife," Hamilton Township police Sergeant Robert Miktus said. "He's reaching toward the front seat with the knife towards the women. The driver, who's 94 years old, she threw her arm back to block him, to block the knife. In the meantime, the other sister, the 92-year-old sister in the passenger seat, jumped from the car, waved her arms and started screaming, attracting attention."

Eyewitnesses saw the man run away, and police arrested him a short time later.

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Wednesday, 2 May 2012