Local News in Brief : Student Survey on Drug, Alcohol Use

Nearly 17% of Long Beach high school students say they take drugs or drink alcoholic beverages at least three days a week, according to a survey released Friday by the Long Beach City Council.

Of the students who reported “casual substance use,” four out of 10 said they prefer alcoholic beverages as their “substance of choice,” according to the study, which was commissioned by the council and conducted by an outside consultant.

Of the 2,481 students participating in the survey, most of them high school juniors, 3% described themselves as being addicted to drugs or alcohol, but about 20% said they never use drugs or alcohol. Two out of five said they abstain because “use may cause physical or psychological damage.”