SWYS 2001 News - Knowledge of "Date Rape" Drug Could Be Higher

Southwest Wisconsin teens who respond "no, I've never heard of it" when asked about the drug GHB (e.g. Date Rape Drug, Roachies, LA Roche,
R Roche, Mexican Valium, Forget Me Pill)?"

Over half (51%) of southwest Wisconsin teens have never heard of GHB, which is commonly referred to as the date rape drug. Only 19% of teens have tried marijuana and nutritional supplements and 18% have tried caffeine pills. Fewer teens have experimented with other drugs such as inhalants, uppers, downers, steroids, ecstasy and methamphetamines. Active parenting is linked to lower levels of drug experimentation and use.

Those are among the findings of the Southwest Wisconsin Youth Survey (SWYS) survey conducted by 19 of 31 school districts in the Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) District 3 as reported by UW-Extension. More than 5,700 students in grades 7 through 12 in the school districts of Argyle, Barneveld, Benton, Belmont, Black Hawk, Cassville, Darlington, Dodgeville, Iowa-Grant, Lancaster, Mineral Point, Pecatonica, Platteville, Potosi, River Ridge, River Valley, Seneca, Shullsburg and Southwestern completed the survey in September of 2001. UW-Extension faculty in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties are involved in processing and presenting the findings.

"Teens were asked if they ever used GHB which was also referred to in the survey as the date rape drug. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of males and 46% of females never heard of GHB", says Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator. According to the National Institutes of Health, the date rape drug is odorless, colorless and tasteless. It can be put in someone's drink unknowingly and will incapacitate the victim for hours. The victim has little or no recollection of what takes place while under the influence of the drug and unsuspecting females have been raped after being given the drug. "Though more older females are aware of the drug, 25% of 12th grade females never heard of GHB. Clearly it would be better if all females knew about the drug and how to protect themselves", adds Schmitz.

"When asked how often they use marijuana, 81% said they have not tried marijuana, 8% have tried it but don't use it anymore, 3% use it a couple of times a year, 2% use it one to three times a month, 2% use it once or twice a week and 3% use it nearly everyday", according to Deb Ivey, Iowa County 4-H Youth Development Agent. "Obviously experimentation and use increases in the upper grades. While only 3% of seventh graders have tried marijuana, 42% of 12th grade males and 33% of 12th grade females have tried marijuana. Seventeen percent of 12th grade males use marijuana at least once a month and 9% say they use it nearly everyday."

"It was interesting to see that use levels of nutritional supplements like ginseng and protein powders were comparable to marijuana", adds Christina Kenney, Grant County Interim Family Living Agent. "About 5% of teens use nutritional supplements a couple of times a year, 3% use them one to three times a month, 2% use them once or twice a week and 3% use them nearly everyday. Eighteen percent of 12th grade males report using nutritional supplements nearly everyday. This is concerning because very little research has been conducted to establish the safety of these supplements in humans, not to mention those under the age of 18. The protein powders taken to enhance athletic performance are especially worrisome as they have been linked to kidney damage and problems with insulin production."

Caffeine pills were used a couple of times a year by 6% of southwest Wisconsin teens, 3% use them one to three times a month, 2% use them once or twice a week or nearly everyday. As expected, older teens were more likely to experiment and use caffeine pills. Uppers had been tried by 9% of teens, inhalants and cocaine or crack by 6%, downers by 6% ecstasy and steroids by 5%, and methamphetamines by 4%.

"We continue to find that parental monitoring, family love and support, eating meals together as a family, establishing and enforcing consequences for violating family rules and reporting school code violations to school officials are linked with lower levels of experimentation and drug use", notes Ruth Schriefer, Iowa County Family Living Agent. "We also found that the more teens worry about their parents' drinking too much, the more likely they are to report higher levels of experimentation and use of drugs."
The SWYS survey was funded in large part by the Grant County Tobacco-Free Coalition, the Lafayette County Tobacco-Free Coalition and the Iowa County Tobacco Coalition. Other funders included Lafayette County Families First, participating school districts, the Department of Transportation, United Way of Iowa County, Iowa County Family Preservation and Support, UW-Extension Southern District Resource Management Team, the Biddick Foundation, the Alliant Foundation, and the Iowa County Domestic Violence Task Force.

A full report on the SWYS survey results is due out this spring. Schmitz, Kenney, Ivey and Schriefer are also giving community presentations on the data. For more information on the survey contact your local school district, Schmitz and Kenney at 723-2125 or Ivey and Schriefer at 935-0391.

Return to 2001 News Releases

Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator
Youth and Agriculture Center P.O. Box 31, Lancaster, WI 53813
Phone: 608-723-2125   Fax: 608:723-4315   
E-mail: thomas.schmitz@ces.uwex.edu