Data

Hawaii ranked fourth (31.7%) in the nation for high school students who were offered, sold, or given an illegal drug by someone on school property.  The national average was 24.3%. – Table 62 1

Hawaii children as young as 10-12 years old were arrested for drug possession (41 total).  The numbers more than tripled for teenagers 13-14 years old with a total of 157 arrests for drug possession. - Table: Age and Sex of Juveniles Arrested for Part II Offenses 2

Prevalence of various substances with Hawaii students - Table 2.35:

  • Illicit Drug use – Increased by 6.3 times from 6th grade (1.8%) to 12th grade (11.4%)
  • Marijuana use – Increased by 17.5 times from 6th grade (2.4%) to 12th grade (42.2%)
  • Inhalant use – Increased by 1.4 times from 6th grade (6.3%) to 12th grade (8.6%)
  • Alcohol use – Increased by 4.6 times from 6th grade (15.6%) to 12th grade (72.4%)
  • Tobacco use – Increased by 4.6 times from 6th grade (8.7%) to 12th grade (39.7%)
  • Prescription Drug use – Increased by 12.4 times from 6th grade (1.1%) to 12th grade (13.6%) 3

Almost half (49%) of the students aged 13 and under who spend over 30 minutes a day on social networking sites saw pictures of other kids on the social networking site drunk, passed out, or using drugs. - Figure 2.B 4

Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs for Grades 8, 10, and 12 Combined - Table 2:

  • Illicit Drugs increased by 0.3 percent
  • Illicit Drugs including inhalants increased by 0.2 percent
  • Marijuana/Hashish increased by 0.5 percent
  • Salvia increased by 0.1 percent
  • Rohypnol increased by 0.1 percent 5

In Hawaii, the amount of fatalities where a driver was at the illegal drinking limit (0.08 BAC) increased from 32% percent in 2001 to 37% in 2010. – Table 10 6

About one in three young drivers (30%) aged 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes had a blood alcohol concentration of .01 g/dL or higher. – Table 4 7

An estimate of 28,230 lives from 1975–2010 were saved by Minimum Drinking Age Laws. – Figure 2 7

Selected Drug Combinations in Energy Drink-Related Emergency Department Visits: Annual Averages, 2004 to 2009 – Table 1

An estimated 56 percent of visits involved energy drinks only

  • About one quarter (27 percent) of visits involved energy drinks in combination with pharmaceuticals
  • 16 percent involved combinations with alcohol
  • 10 percent involved combinations with illicit drugs 8
  • 1 in 5 patients (20%) aged 12 to 17 made a visit to the emergency department for pharmaceutical combinations with energy drinks. – Figure 2 8

 Overall, more emergency department visits involving combinations of energy drinks with pharmaceuticals were made by female (35%) then by males (23%). – Figure 3 8

Top ten most common poison categories for Hawaii children 0-5 years old:

1. Cosmetic/Personal Care products – 423 cases
2. Analgesics – 299 cases
3. Foreign Bodies (Toys, Misc.) – 271 cases
4. Topical Preparations – 220 cases
5. Household Cleaning Substances – 212 cases
6. Pesticides – 186 cases
7. Vitamins – 100 cases
8. Electrolytes and minerals – 91 cases
9. Household Cleaning Substances – 212 cases
10. Antihistamines – 86 cases 9

Almost half (44.5%) of Hawaii students who reported drinking alcohol in the past month were between the ages of 18-20 years old. 10

More than 1 in 5 students (22.4%) of Hawaii students between the ages of 15-17 reported drinking alcohol in the past month. 10

Sources:

1. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS)

2. Department of the Attorney General, Research & Statistics Branch, 2010 Crime in Hawaii – Uniform Crime Reports

3. Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism 2007 State of Hawaii Data Book “Prevalence of Various Substances with Hawaii Students

4. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) 2011 Teen Survey – National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI

5. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2012 Monitoring the Future – National Results on Adolescent Drug Use

6. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2010 State Alcohol-Impaired Traffic Safety Facts

7. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2010 Young Drivers Traffic Safety Facts

8. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2010 The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Report “Emergency Department Visits Involving Energy Drinks”

9. Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center 2011 Hawaii Annual Report

10. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Hawaii State Profile and Underage Drinking Facts