University of Virginia Library

Questionnaire

Statewide the survey showed that, 86
per cent of the high school students
questioned had never used marijuana or
any of the five hard drugs listed in the
questionnaire.

Fourteen per cent of the students said
that they had used either marijuana or
hard drugs. Of this number, 12.3 per cent
had used marijuana and 7.7 per cent had
used hard drugs.

More students had used marijuana ten
times or more than those who had used it
less than ten times. The frequent use of
marijuana was closely associated with the
use of other drugs. Eighty-two per cent of

the students classified as frequent users of
marijuana had taken other drugs.

These figures, however, do not
correspond with the popular concept of
the wide spread use of drugs in the high
schools, the researchers stated. Estimates
of drug use are placed at 50 per cent or
more in the predominately urban areas of
the state This survey does not
substantiate this estimation.

In the past three to five years, the
survey indicates, some 5,000 accidents
involving high school students in Virginia
have been related to the use of marijuana
and drugs.

Also reported was the fact that while
two to three per cent of alcohol related
accidents were fatal, about 17 per cent of
the marijuana and drug related mishaps
resulted in fatalities.