In a survey conducted through the Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition, 1,923 students participated, giving the coalition solid feedback on the real scope of the drug/alcohol related problems that exist in Coffee County.
The average “age of onset” (first use, whether it continues in addition or not) that students in our county try smoking cigarettes is 13 years old, according to information gathered through the Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation (PIRE, 2013).
In a 2013 survey, 15 percent of our students had reported using marijuana in the past 30 days. 22 percent of students who participated in the same survey reported using illicit drugs in the past 30 days (this excludes those who abused prescription drugs). For the latter statistic, this means that in the last month over 400 students chose to use illicit drugs.
Also, 13 percent of our students in Coffee County start drinking alcohol on a regular basis at 14 or younger; of these, nearly 50 percent are very likely to become dependent on alcohol at some point in their lives. This is according to the most recent numbers available through the Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition.
The Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition is a local non-profit organization that receives federal funding from the Drug-Free Communities grant, among others, to conduct anti-drug and anti-alcohol abuse campaigns and initiatives in our community that will benefit its residents. The Coalition advocates for policy and community-level changes that may be necessary in reducing rates of abuse and increasing overall community health and well-being.
Important Information From The Coffee County Anti-Drug Coalition
