Friends, family often supply alcohol, cigarettes to underage youth

Many underage students in Ontario, Canada, who drink or smoke report receiving cigarettes and alcohol from friends or family members, according to a survey from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Although 19% of seventh- to 12th-graders who smoke reported getting their cigarettes from a corner store, grocery store, gas station or bar, 58% said they received their last cigarette from a friend or family member. Among those who consumed alcohol, 39% reported someone gave it to them, and 28% said they gave money to someone to obtain it for them, but only 4% said they obtained alcohol from a liquor store and 2% from a beer store, according to a press release.

"Despite efforts to curb smoking and prevent youth alcohol use, the survey tells us that youth are still able to easily access these substances," Robert Mann, PhD, senior scientist and principal investigator for the survey, said in the press release. "It is also very clear that young people find it much easier to obtain cigarettes from corner stores than to obtain alcohol from liquor or beer stores. If we begin selling alcohol in corner stores, we can expect a large increase in underage drinking."

Forty percent of students in urban areas reported that someone gave them alcohol vs. 35% of those in rural areas. However, students in rural areas were more likely to report giving money to someone to buy alcohol for them (33% vs. 27%).

The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey started in 1977 and is conducted every 2 years on seventh- to 12th-grade students. The current survey included 9,288 students from 40 public and catholic school boards in Ontario.

For more information:

Paglia-Boak A. Drug use among Ontario students: 1977-2011. Available at: www.camh.ca. Accessed Sept. 26, 2013.