ABSTRACT
Alaska, with its predominately youthful population and its ‘ast frontier’ ethic, provides an ideal setting to explore what role drugs may play in people’s lifestyles, and to learn how such behavior is related to a society that is still attempting to define itself. The present research was undertaken to identify the prevalence of drug use among Alaskan youth, specifically focusing on gaining an understanding of prevalence levels among members of different ethnic groups.
The findings from a study of students in grades 7 to 12 revealed that lifetime prevalence for experience with any chemical substances is extraordinarily high among all youth in these grades. The levels are much higher than that found in comparable aged youth in the lower-48 states. High prevalence levels are also noted for 4th and 6th graders.
A study of the proportion of youth within each of the different ethnic groups revealed that drug involvement was very high for Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Hispanics, and students of mixed backgrounds, a phenomenon that is consistent with findings from other research. Blacks and Asian-Pacific Islanders report least use, a finding consistent with other research. Prevalence levels for Whites were less than those for Alaskan Natives, American Indians, Hispanics, but higher than level for Blacks and students of Asian-Pacific Islander backgrounds.
The implications for further research and prevention are discussed. Special emphasis is focused on understanding drug-taking behavior in terms of the meaning it may have within a subculture or ethnic group, rather than approaching the problem of drug use from a unitary perspective.
